Cure Cure! PreCure!
by TwinklingCupcake
Summary: [fanseries] When the Healing Flower, the ageless and magic flower that allows sickness to be vanquished, is threatened and a queen falls gravely-ill, it's up to a new generation of Pretty Cure to keep two worlds from becoming deathly-ill!
1. Chapter 1

The sound of heavy coughing filled the air. This would be enough cause for concern in most cases, but when it was the queen herself who was coughing...

A dark-skinned woman lay in bed, her hands limply resting over her chest as her coughing slowed and finally stopped. But her breathing was raspy, rattling as she sank back into the multitude of pillows.

If only a cough were all that was wrong. She was flushed and feverish, though earlier she'd insisted she felt ice-cold. Her limbs were weak, her hands trembling faintly when she had to move her arms.

At her side was the royal physician, carefully holding the queen's wrist in her hand. She was quiet for a few moments, then gently let her arm down and dabbed at the queen's forehead with a damp towel.

Shortly thereafter, she left the queen alone with her maids, closing the door behind herself. Immediately a small crowd of other servants surged forward.

"What is it?"

"Is Her Majesty going to be alright?!"

"Where's the Healing Flower?!"

"Everyone, please!" The physician held her hands up to calm everyone, though she didn't look so calm herself. She cleared her throat, tried to will some of the color to return to her too-pale pallor, and spoke again. "The queen is seriously ill, but she is not in immediate danger. If we keep her rested and well cared-for, she shall recover. It will be longer and more difficult without the Healing Flower, but she'll survive."

"But where _is_ the Healing Flower?!" cried someone else.

"The queen has sent it away to a safe place. I promise." The woman turned her head to look out the window. Everything looked so peaceful and bright outside...It didn't fit such a disastrous event. "It will be kept safe, once Pretty Cure awakens..."

* * *

OP: "Healing Charm" – STAR ANIS

* * *

It was a sunny, quiet morning in Hanaoka, the skies losing their last tinges of pink and cold to be replaced by blue. On the street below, a mailman deposited mail into the appropriate mailbox, a jogger passed by with his dog. A few birds were still singing, two of them sitting in a small window-ledge garden.

Just then, the pale pink and yellow striped curtains in the window parted with a flourish. A girl in green and yellow pajamas smiled as she opened the window, the breeze gently blowing her long, wavy pink hair. "Good morning, everyone!" she said, leaning over the flowers. "Ah, sorry, guys!" she added as the two birds in the garden gave her dirty looks. "Now where was I?...Oh, right!"

The girl, known as Airi Honda, picked up a small pink watering can and carefully began drizzling water over the flowers. "There you go, guys..." A few moments later, the can was set back down, and Airi took a moment to gaze skyward. "What a nice day," she murmured.

* * *

TODAY'S EPISODE: A Wonderful Feeling **! I Am A Pretty Cure!**

* * *

"Airi! Come down, it's time for breakfast!" Suzuko Honda, a trim woman with ocean-blue eyes and long cerise hair in a half-bun, called up. She stood at the table, setting down Airi's own plate before setting down her own, and then Ichijo's.

Airi came rushing downstairs, adjusting the gold brooch on the front of her uniform. "Morning, Mom! Morning, Ichijo!" She greeted her mother and stepfather with a kiss on the cheek for each of them, then sat at the table, scooting her chair in.

"G'morning, Airi," said Ichijo, a man with short, blue-black hair and a goatee. He smiled when he got another look at Airi, lowering his coffee cup. "You're wearing the bows I got you for your birthday!"

Airi giggled and held her braids up. Sure enough, they were secured with puffy, off-white bows. "Of course! They're so cute, after all!" She turned back to her breakfast and started eating her fried eggs. "I thought it'd be a nice change of pace from plain bands."

"Well, I think braids, and those bows, suit you," said Suzuko with a smile.

"Thanks!" Airi smiled, finishing her eggs quickly and eating half a pancake in a single bite.

"Geez, Airi, calm down..." Ichijo muttered, eyes going wide. "What's the hurry?"

"Taking the scenic view to school! Gotta get going early if I don't wanna be late!" Airi ate the second half of her pancake, chugged her orange juice, and then pushed away from the table. She hastily grabbed her plate and cup, deposited them in the sink, and then rushed for the door. "Bye!"

A moment later, there was just the sound of a door opening and closing. Ichijo sighed, sipping his coffee again. "Well, at least at dinner time we can actually eat as a _family_."

Suzuko just laughed behind her hand.

* * *

Hanaoka was a great town to walk in.

Airi jogged to school, enjoying the sun on her face, the floral aroma in the air. Practically everyone had a garden, and most of the street lights had little hanging baskets of flowers. As such, the town was always colorful and vibrant, peaceful and soothing.

"Good morning, Airi!" called some of her neighbors.

"Good morning!" Airi greeted everyone else in turn, nodding once at each person. This was part of why she liked 'the scenic route.' There were two different paths she could take to get to Hanaoka Middle School. She could go the quick, straightforward way, with very little turns...

Or she could go the long way, like today, and pass by some of the larger flower beds, the park, admire the trees in the distance... It was partially uphill, but Airi didn't even mind it. Uphill meant she could get a great view of the sparkling blue lake in the distance.

And she found herself on that very hill in a few minutes, pausing to take a rest and enjoy the view. She inhaled deeply through her nose, the light wind gently tossing her braids. She giggled when a few flower petals drifted off the ground and through the air, making her feel like a character in a manga.

She was so lucky to live here.

"Airi?" a gentle voice called from behind her.

Airi turned around, her surprised expression becoming a warm, delighted smile when she saw-

"Fuuka!" Airi grinned as her friend approached her. "Here to enjoy the view with me?"

"Hm, something like that," Fuuka said, fixing her cream-colored headband. "The first objective is getting to school, of course."

Fuuka was a little taller than Airi was, with pretty dark skin and brown eyes that reminded Airi of root beer. Her hair was dark brown, thick and wavy as it fell to just between her shoulder-blades. She always carried herself with an air of elegance, yet gave off the feeling of being approachable as well; Airi quite liked that.

"By the way, did you finish last night's English homework?" Fuuka said later, as she and Airi walked side-by-side through the school gates.

"Translating the nursery rhymes? Yup! I had to ask Ichijo for help though."

"It's lucky you have a translator for a step-dad!"

They entered the classroom at the same time, joining the dozen or so other kids who were already there, a small sea of cream, pink, and red. Airi smiled a bit as she adjusted the ribbon on her skirt. She really liked Hanaoka Middle School's winter uniform. The cream-colored sweater was nice and warm, snug but not too tight with a little bit of breathing room; the baby pink ribbon and pleated skirt off-set the sweater nicely. And the skirt even had a cute ribbon on the side, which to Airi felt like a nice bit of...well, not symmetry, since it wasn't centered like the chest-ribbon (held in place with a round, gold brooch), but she still liked the picture it presented. And even the Mary-Janes were pink! As far as she knew, this school was the only one that had pink shoes.

Well, for the girls. The boys got to wear red and cream, not pink and cream. And of course they wore slacks, not skirts, and deep red ties and penny loafers. But of course those uniforms looked nice too.

"Ai-riiiii~!" a loud voice called from behind the duo. Airi only had a split-second warning before she was pitched forward, stumbling slightly under her other best friend. "Goooood morning~!"

"G-Good m-morning, Kiko..." Airi laughed awkwardly. "Owww, ow, shoulder..."

"Whoa, your shoulder hurts?" Immediately Kiko Kobayashi relinquished Airi and took a step back. She narrowed her dark blue eyes as she gently prodded one of Airi's shoulders. "Oh, jeez, there's a knot here! What've you been _doing?"_ she asked, guiding Airi to her desk. Fuuka followed them, taking her seat next to Airi while Kiko stood behind her.

"W-Well, I was kind of stressed while I did the homework," Airi said sheepishly, leaning against her desk as Kiko began to massage and work at the knot.

Kiko snorted. "You, stressed?"

"Well, I did use some lavender oils to calm back down again!"

"Not enough to get rid of this, apparently. You're lucky to have me for a friend," Kiko said, lifting up one of Airi's braids to tickle her with it.

Kiko had been friends with the two since she transferred into their school a year before. She'd arrived in the middle of the school year, and Airi had been the one who offered to show her around. They found themselves friends pretty quickly after that, due to just how _friendly_ Kiko was.

Kiko was an overweight girl, fair-skinned with a heart as big as the rest of her, and wore her thick, dark blue hair pulled away from her face in two low, shoulder-length ponytails that coiled around themselves. No matter how she tossed them over her shoulders, one usually found its way back to sit against her front.

"There. How's that?" she finally said, releasing Airi's shoulders and taking a step back.

Airi sat up straight, rolling her shoulder for a moment. She smiled and turned her head to look at Kiko over her shoulder. "Fantastic! Thanks, Kiko!"

"Any time!" Kiko grinned with her teeth showing.

The second bell rang just as the homeroom teacher, Ms Azumi Miyamoto, entered the room, pulling her bright pink hair loose from its sloppy ponytail and ruffling it. "Good morning, everyone! I hope you all finished the homework from last night?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

* * *

"Whaaaa? The Healing Flower's supposed to be _here?!"_

A fourteen-year-old girl leaned against a tree in the nearby woods, nodding once. "That's what the others said," she added, tucking a strand of her shoulder-length, dark green hair behind her ear.

"But it's...there's flowers everywhere!" her friend sputtered angrily, gesturing with her arms. This speaker was _not_ human, unlike her friend. She resembled a dark gray rat, if rats were the size of house cats and had human-like eyes with red irises. At one side of her head was a large, aqua-green jewel in the shape of an oval, with three sharp, feather-like ribbons protruding from it. She wore a tiny capelet around her shoulders, black and cut to resemble bat wings.

It somewhat matched the capelet her too-pale, human companion wore, except hers was dark green and a bit more tattered, buttoned up in the front with tiny gold buttons and clasped shut with a light green gem. She wore a green-black dress that reached mid-thigh, with mint-green lace trim. Black thigh-high boots were on her legs, and wrist-length, dark green gloves with the same tattered appearance as her capelet were on her hands. Her cyan-blue eyes twinkled slightly, the only outward sign of her amusement as she knelt down to be closer to the creature.

"Inge, don't you like flowers?"

"I-It's not _that,_ Fever!" Inge sputtered angrily, stomping one little paw. "If there's flowers everywhere, it'll be that much harder to find the Healing Flower, and that much harder to give it to Blight, and _that_ much harder for...for everything!" She punctuated her rant with a scream of frustration, paws gripping the back of her head. She seemed to calm down slightly, however, when Fever scooped her up and transferred her to her shoulder. With a sigh, she added "And then if Pretty Cure awaken, that'll be a hassle too."

"Don't worry." Fever's lips curved slightly in a cruel smile. "That owl's minutes are numbered."

* * *

"And Kouichi saw the ill maiden with the treasure, and how she refused to let any eligible man have it. But once her eyes rested on Kouichi, she smiled and said 'You are the man who told Father how to heal me. I want you to marry me!' And when she gave Kouichi the treasure, the sickly pallor from her skin vanished and became rosy again, and her eyes sparkled with health-'"

"Hp- _thchoo!"_ HOOOONK.

Azumi paused, lowering her book and staring across the room. Everyone else looked at the same person she was: Isano Ito, a girl on the newspaper club.

"Ito, as much as I appreciate the soundtrack..." Azumi began, one corner of her mouth quirking into an uneven smile.

Isano sniffled loudly and crumpled up the tissue she'd been holding to her nose. "Sorry, Ms Miyamoto," she said, voice thick.

"Alright, then. As I was saying, 'her eyes sparkled with health, and the illness that had plagued her for so long-'"

HOOOONK! "Choo!"

"'...plagued her for so long-'"

"Hp-thchoo!"

"...'for so long finally fled-'"

 _ **"Thchoo!"**_

 _"Ito, do you need the nurse?"_ Azumi snapped, her book closing.

"Ugh, I'm _sorry_ ," Isano muttered, blowing her nose loudly again. "But I'm fine, I...Oh." Isano had reached up to brush some of her honey-blonde bangs away from her face, and stopped once she touched her skin.

"Ito?"

"Uhm, Ms Miyamoto, I'm feeling really warm all of a sudden," Isano said.

"Alright, you do need to see the nurse. Honda, would you walk with her?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Airi pushed back in her chair and approached Isano, as the other girl grabbed her bag and stood up as well. "You'll be okay, Ito," she said soothingly, resting a hand on the other girl's shoulder, just in case she felt dizzy.

The girls made their way down the hall for the infirmary, Isano sniffling and blowing her nose a few more times. "Wow, that sounds pretty bad," Airi said, eyes widening.

"I just don't get it." Isano suddenly coughed before speaking again. "This came out of nowhere...I was just fine this morning!"

"Some colds do come out of seemingly nowhere," Airi said in a reassuring voice. "I'm sure you'll be fine! You just gotta go home, rest, get some vitamin C...Oh! Hang on." She dug around in her skirt pockets for a moment, face lighting up as she found what she was looking for. "Here," she said, pressing some wrapped items into Isano's hand.

Isano sniffled and held her hand closer to her eyes. There were three tiny, wrapped spheres. One was wrapped in shiny gold paper, and the other two were wrapped in wax paper with blue and pink stripes. "What're these?"

"The gold one is a honey ball, and the other two have ginger extract in them. They'll make your throat and nose feel better for now."

"Huh. Thanks – choo! - Airi," Isano unwrapped one of the striped balls and popped it in her mouth. "'preciate it... _Hp-thchoo—gk!"_ She covered her mouth and pounded on her chest as the sudden sneeze nearly made her swallow her candy.

Airi winced sympathetically. "Ooh...we better hurry, you sound like you're getting worse!" she said, wrapping an arm around Isano's shoulders as the two set off again.

* * *

 _Eyecatch 1: Airi walks unsteadily between Kiko and Fuuka, balancing Penny atop her head. Suddenly she trips and pitches forward, causing Penny to fall. Fuuka and Kiko each grab one of her upper arms, and Airi holds her hands together to catch Penny. Everyone laughs as the Cure Cure! PreCure logo appears.  
Eyecatch 2: The three Cure Balms appear in mid-air, rotating around each other before flying in different directions. We then see each girl has caught her respective Cure Balm, and opens it up. In flashes of pink, blue, and yellow light, the girls transform into the Cure selves and smile dreamily as they inhale the scent of their balms. The Cure Cure! PreCure logo appears in the corner._

* * *

"Bye, Ito! Hope you feel better!" Airi called across the courtyard after school, waving her arm over her head.

In the distance, Isano waved weakly in return. Any facial expression she might have been making was obscured by the facial mask she wore over her mouth and nose. No further greetings to give, she kept on walking to the gate, looking rather dejected.

"What's wrong with Ito?" asked Fuuka, a loose fist resting against her chest.

"Hm, she's kinda upset that the newspaper club won't let her inside today," said Kiko. "Man, I'm surprised she was even allowed to stay at school!"

"Well, she was pretty insistent..." Airi chuckled sheepishly, recalling the conversation she overheard from outside the infirmary. No matter how the nurse tried to say Isano should just hurry and go home, Isano kept firing back that she was on the _newspaper club_ and as such it was her duty to stay at school to report anything and everything the students might need to know. And what if she missed something important over a minor cold? Eventually, she left the infirmary with a face mask and a small packet of moisturizer-infused tissues.

And then it seemed she was foiled in the end anyway, as her fellow clubmates told her to just go home, it'd be better for both her _and_ themselves.

"You think she'll be better tomorrow? I mean, yeah, school's not my favorite thing, but I'd like to do my work without hearing her coughing and sneezing every half hour," Kiko said, folding her hands behind her head. "Thanks for giving her those little candies, by the way," she added, glancing at Airi as they walked. "She probably would've been making noise every five minutes otherwise."

Airi smiled, blushing faintly. "Thanks, Kiko! And I bet she'll be fine. It's probably just a bug that's going around."

"It must be quite the bug," Fuuka murmured sympathetically.

"In any case, I bet just some tea and rest and hot soup and she'll be fine."

Nothing more was said on Isano the rest of the walk, and in short time the girls had to branch off and go their separate routes home.

* * *

She was going to die.

She wasn't going to make it.

She'd die here, in this strange world, without ever finding help for her world and her beloved queen.

Penny flew as hard as she could, but each beat of her wings felt heavy, as if she were in thick mud. Her vision swam as she tried to navigate across this strange place, the pain in her side only made it worse. She wasn't sure if she'd lost her pursuer just yet, but she was still too scared to slow down and too hurt to think straight. Her vision started to darken, and she began to descend...

And just before she lost consciousness entirely, she felt herself fall into something soft yet firm, and nice-smelling.

* * *

"I'm home!"

The house was silent as Airi slipped out of her shoes. She glanced around for a moment before spotting the note on the counter. _Airi, we were invited to a double-date tonight. Dinner is in the fridge. Be home at eleven._

"Ah, I hope they have fun," Airi said, walking up the stairs and to her room. This would be fine – she could watch some extra TV and eat in the living room!

As she entered her room, however, she nearly jumped at the sound of loud, frantic chirping. "Huh? Hey, hey! Pii, Chii, what's the matter?!" Airi crossed the room to her window and slid it open. "What's wrong, wha- Huh?" She blinked, not sure if what she was seeing was real.

It was an owl. A little, round white owl with heart-shaped markings. Three tiny pink hearts formed a triangle on their front, and two curved, swirling lines made a heart on their forehead. Oddly, a little pink drawstring pouch was tied around one of their stubby little legs...

And Airi saw red staining the feathers beneath one of their wings.

Swiftly, she reached out and scooped the unconscious creature in her hands, drawing it to her chest. "Oh my gosh! Thanks for telling me, you two!" Airi turned away from the window, heading for her bathroom. "Don't worry, little guy," she whispered to the white thing in her arms. "You'll be okay."

She took the owl into her personal bathroom first, carefully lifting a wing and wincing at the sight beneath it. So many feathers were red or pink, and not because of cute markings either. Murmuring soothing words under her breath, she wet a washcloth and gently pressed it to the owl's side. Her patient trilled a little in discomfort, so Airi made her touch even gentler. "It's okay, it's okay..." she whispered. "I've got you, sweetheart..."

Just as she said those words, the little pouch the owl was wearing came open, and with a clatter something rolled out. Airi blinked, kneeling down to look at it. She didn't pick it up though, still cleaning the owl's wound. "What's that? Hm, I'll get it later. For now..." She set the owl on the countertop and closed the bag again. "Let's keep any more surprises from happening."

After a few more moments, she pulled the now-red cloth away and smiled, sighing in relief. "Just a really big scratch! Nothing to be afraid of," she said. "Okay, sweetie, if you can hear me, this is going to prevent infection." She reached into a little basket by the sink and pulled out a spraybottle. The owl trilled again at the slight stinging feeling, but quickly relaxed. "There you go! Now, just let me..."

Airi kept working for another five minutes; blowing on the wound to dry the disinfectant, carefully setting a gauze bandage over it, and finally fetching her "relax towel." Soon the owl was resting comfortably on her bed and Airi was washing her hands in the bathroom sink.

"Oh, right, that thing!" she suddenly said, turning off the water and giving her hands a quick shake. She knelt down to the floor again and picked up the item. "Huh? This looks like...balm?"

The item turned out to be a tiny balm container – at least it sure looked like one. The container itself was white, with a thick pink line in the middle. Airi rotated it between her thumb and forefinger; at one point in the pink line was an even darker pink symbol, the same heart-shape that was on the owl's forehead. The container's lid was the same light pink as the line, and on top was the same dark heart, but in the middle was a bright, sparkling pink gem, like a rhinestone.

"Sure is pretty..." Airi mumbled, curiosity getting the best of her. She carefully popped the lid off, seeing white balm inside. A second later, the scent reached her nose.

Airi couldn't help but gasp sharply, eyes widening before drifting shut blissfully. A tiny smile appeared on her lips. She felt like she was standing in the middle of a rose garden. Or maybe inside a rose blossom itself. She felt herself relax a bit, tension leaving her muscles and mind clearing of all worries.

"What a nice smell..." she murmured, closing the container again.

* * *

 _"You've found one.._."

She felt something beneath and around her before anything else. There was something soft, and warm, and smelling of lavender. The owl slowly opened her eyes, her surroundings coming into focus. First thing she noticed was that the soft and warm thing was a fluffy towel, and she was sitting on a bed. Then she noticed everything else; she was in someone's bedroom, a brightly-lit room with pale, off-white walls, a dark green carpet, a small bookshelf against the one wall next to a tv and DVD-player...But where was the room's owner?

The owl blinked again, waking up a little more. Where was the room's owner and...how had she gotten in here? And _when?_

"Ah, hey, you're awake!"

"Pedi?" The owl looked up – she had to lean back in order to do so – and saw a girl with pink hair and red eyes enter the room. In her arms was a light green wicker basket with a little yellow flower sticker on the front. The owl blinked again.

"Is your side better?" the girl asked, crossing the room and kneeling down by the bed. She set the basket down on the bedspread too, just a little in front of and to the side of the owl. Wait, her side? The round owl tilted her body a bit and lifted up her wing. From the corner of her eye she could see a large, rectangular bandage on her side. Wha-

"You had this awful-looking wound," the girl explained, leaning forward with her arms on the bed and her chin propped on them. "But the good news was it was only awful- _looking._ You don't need any stitches or anything, just cleaning and TLC." She smiled and reached out with a delicate-looking hand, then gently began to stroke the owl on top of her head. Body. Whatever. "Gosh, you are _so_ adorable..."

"Thank you, pedi!"

"W-Wah!" The girl quickly withdrew her hand, staring at the owl with wide, stunned eyed.

"My side doesn't even hurt anymore, pedi! Are you a doctor, pedi?"

"Uh..."

"I'm very lucky to have run into you, pedi! You really saved a lot of people by helping me!"

Silence.

"Eh?" The owl blinked her red eyes, tilting her head – er, body – in confusion. "Pedi?"

The girl was just kneeling there, shoulders slumped with her arms dangling at her sides. "...you talk," she said simply.

There was a faint growling.

"And I'm hungry, pedi!"

* * *

A short time later, the owl was happily eating from a little bowl of granola cereal. Airi sat on the bed with the owl in her lap, gently tilting the bowl for her to eat from, because otherwise the critter would have to put her whole body in the bowl. Airi smiled a little as the owl ate. She'd had her reservations at first, but since this was a _talking_ owl, and definitely not normal, perhaps it'd be okay to give her 'people food.'

"Aaaaah, that tasted delicious, pedi!" the owl cried, finally pulling away.

"Thanks!" Airi set the now-empty bowl down. "Ichijo makes it for my school snack. Ah – Ichijo is my step-dad," she added. "I'm Airi, Airi Honda!"

"And I'm Penny, pedi!" the owl said, flapping her wings a little. "I'm a fairy!"

"A _fairy_!" Airi gasped, pushing herself off the bed and kneeling beside it again. She clasped the edge of the bed and leaned forward, staring at Penny with wide, sparkling eyes. "Oh my gosh, I've never met a fairy before! It's very nice to meet you, Penny!"

"Likewise! What time is it, by the way?"

"Huh?" Airi blinked, taken surprised by the sudden subject-change. "Ah, it's about four o'clock," she added, glancing at the clock.

"Hwah! I've got to hurry!" Penny suddenly shrieked, tensing up and eyes going wide. "I've got a big job to do, pedi! I gotta _go!"_

Before Airi could stop her, the owl started frantically flapping her wings and took off, a bit unsteadily, towards the still-open window. "A-Ah, Penny, wait, your side's-!" Airi yelled, reaching a hand out to her. But it was too late. The two birds still in the window-garden screamed in irritation, but Penny flew past them and into the city.

"Penny!" Airi cried. _"Penny!_ Oh no..." Nothing else said, Airi shoved herself away from her bed and ran for the stairs.

She slipped her shoes on as fast as she could; the second shoe wasn't even fully on her foot before she was opening the front door and running out. Hopping a few times as she shoved her foot into her shoe the rest of the way, she looked around quickly to see where Penny might have gone. Soon she spotted a white ball hovering above the rooftops a few streets away. There she was! _"Penny!"_ she yelled, giving chase. "You're still hurt! Penny!"

* * *

Now that she was in the air, Penny was sort of regretting taking off so fast. She'd just eaten so now she was getting a tummy-ache, and her wing kept beating against the bandaged wound on her side and made it start stinging. She trilled in pain, but kept flying. She had a job to do, she had to hurry and find-

"BYOOUU!"

Penny screamed as something huge cut her off.

* * *

In the woods, Inge tilted her head, one ear twitched. She grinned toothily at Fever, who smiled back, though more subtly. "Found her."

* * *

Airi gasped, panted as she ran down the street. Gym was _never_ her best subject. "I...need...to run...more..." she panted.

"Hwaaaaaah!"

"Penny-!" Airi cried, straightening and bolting down the street again. She ignored the burning feeling in her lungs, the pounding in her legs. She definitely heard Penny down _this_ direction, and Penny was in trouble! As she ran, shouting Penny's name, she couldn't help but wonder why no one else was running to help. Surely she wasn't the only one who could hear the owl's increasing screams of fear and pain!

Airi rounded a corner, and suddenly Penny's body was hurtling down right in front of her. She cried out, reaching out and grabbing the owl to her. "Penny! Penny, speak to me!"

Penny looked, well, not _awful,_ but her feathers were ruffled, she was gasping for air, and worst of all – her bandage was gone already, showing the raw wound and exposing it to air again. She struggled in Airi's arms, flapping her wings wildly and accidentally hitting Airi in the face a few times. "Let me go! Let me go, pedi!"

"Penny, it's _me!_ What's wro-"

"You gotta get out of here, pedi! Right now!" Penny shouted desperately, still trying to get away. She must have turned wrong, because suddenly she yelped and seemed to curl into herself a bit, holding her wing away from her injured side. "Owwwowowowow."

"Penny, you're still hurt and now it's worse! Come on, let's get you back to-"

"BYOOUUU!" came Airi's first warning. A rush of hot wind and a sick, rotten smell was the second.

And then a creature resembling a giant notepad slammed down on the street in front of her. It would have looked funny, if not for the fact that it was covered in sickly-yellow spots, had a mouth full of sharp teeth with yellow-green mucus dripping off of them, and was currently glaring down at the two of them. "BYOOUUUU!" it roared again, and more of that disgusting sour-rotten smell hit Airi's nose. She gagged, one hand covering her mouth and nose as she staggered back...

..and then turned around and ran.

"Airi! Airi, let me go, pedi!" Penny shouted, still trying to escape. Airi's response was to tighten her grip on Penny, much to the owl's dismay. "I'm the one it wants, pedi!"

"You're _hurt!"_ Airi panted, trying not to think about the rumbling and crashing behind her as the creature gave chase, the hot wind against the back of her neck. "You're hurt and I refuse to leave you alone, Penny!"

"But you're in danger, pedi!" Penny cried, yelping as Airi abruptly turned, doing everything she could to shake off the monster. "Th-That's the Byouki that hurt me, pedi! It can hurt you too!"

"That's what attacked you?" Airi gasped, and suddenly the ground shook. The Byouki had apparently leaped into the air and then landed hard. Airi's legs shook with the earth, and they were already tired and sore besides. So, unceremoniously, she toppled to the ground, twisting her body so she landed on her side and shielded Penny from impact.

"BYOOUUU!" A now-familiar roar sounded from down the street, and the ground began shaking slightly from the force of the monster's rapid run towards them.

"P-Penny, go!" Airi yelled, pushing herself into a half-prone position.

"What?" Penny squeaked.

"Go on, go, hide!" Airi yelled, tossing the owl into the air. Penny only hovered a few feet away, staring at Airi with a mixture of confusion and horror. "If it's the thing that attacked you, and it's after you, then I'll hold it off for you!"

"BYOOU!"

Airi screamed as the monster reached her...and leaped over her head, reaching for Penny. Without even thinking, she lashed out, wrapping her arms around the monster's leg. She nearly gagged all over again; it felt slimy and disgusting, like nasty garbage.

She wasn't very strong, but her sudden grip at least took the monster by surprise, so it stumbled and missed snatching Penny out of the air entirely. "B-Byou?!" it snarled, twisting its body to look at her.

"Airi?!"

"Go, Penny, go!" Airi panted. She tightened her grip on the monster's leg. She wasn't even looking at it as it started to shake her, grabbed and pulled at her with its sharp-taloned hands. It hurt, but she wasn't letting go. "Go to my house, go to the animal hospital if you have to, just _get away from here!"_

The monster roared again as Penny finally started to fly away – but only to a phone pole to perch. _"Penny!"_ Airi protested, valiantly ignoring the monster's attempt at tearing out of one braids.

"I – I can't just-" Penny began to protest.

" _You were hurt by this thing!"_ Airi screamed, tightening her grip on the monster even further. _"I am not going to stand back and let it happen again! We introduced ourselves to each other, I took care of you... **we! Are! Friends! And I won't let my friend get hurt!"**_

Out of nowhere, a bright light erupted from Airi's skirt pocket and enveloped the area.

Airi blinked. Somehow, she was not longer holding the monster's leg. She wasn't even on the ground anymore; she was floating in a void of pink. "Wh-what...?" she gasped, discovering that her lungs and legs didn't hurt anymore. It was as if she hadn't been running at all. She felt fine. No, better than fine!

Out of her pocket drifted the little balm she'd picked up earlier. It shone brightly, and Airi could smell the powerful scent of roses again.

"Y-You're a Pretty Cure, pedi! I found oooone~!"

"Penny?!" Airi cried, seeing the owl flying up to her. "What's happening? What are you talking about?"

"I can explain later, pedi!" Penny said, eyes sparkling. "But you're the only one who can get rid of that monster right now, pedi!"

"How can I do that?!"

"Just take the Cure Balm and say 'Pretty Cure, Healing Love, pedi!' The rest will come to you!"

Airi blinked, nervously reaching out to take the Cure Balm. "I don't understand, but okay!"

* * *

Airi floated in a new void of color; dark pink mixing with paler pink. Bubbles of rose pink light floated all around her, pink sparkles dancing everywhere. The scent of roses surrounded her as she popped the lid off the Cure Balm. Holding the balm in one hand, Airi swiped the index finger on her other hand over the balm. **"Pretty Cure!"** Her clothes disappeared, replaced by bright pink light that seemed to form a leotard over herself. **"Healing Love~!"** With a peaceful smile, she dabbed some of the balm on the pulse point of her wrist, tossing the balm from one hand to the other in order to do the same to her other wrist. As she did so, bright pink light ringed her wrists, glowing sparkles and pink Greek crosses floating through it. Next she bent her legs, so she briefly floated in a kneeling position, and dabbed some balm onto her ankles. More of the same light appeared there too, and she suddenly kicked both legs out. At once, the light on both her ankles and wrists burst into glowing sparkles to reveal her boots and arm-warmers. She spun around once, dabbing balm onto the pulse points of her neck. The light appeared once again, and just as quickly burst away to reveal a choker.

She then dabbed balm against the center of her chest, then loosely hugged herself, eyes closed and still smiling serenely. All of a sudden she threw her hands out and tilted her head back, and the glowing leotard she'd been wearing before became a layered dress. Her Cure Balm glowed slightly, then zipped into a hidden pocket of her skirt, for safe-keeping. Airi paid no mind to this, lightly bringing her fingertips to her temples until her fingers began to run through her hair. Her hair began to glow bright pink, and when Airi suddenly flung her arms out again, her hair lengthened and changed altogether. No longer was it in two braids, but now it was longer, cascading in thick waves to her waist. It was pulled into a high ponytail, secured with a bow. Airi opened her eyes, revealing they had changed from red to bright pink, and landed on an invisible floor, ankles together and arms spread out as she smiled sweetly.

Instead of the school uniform she'd worn a moment ago, she now wore a frilly, lacy dress in white and pink. Her top was light pink, with a white upside-down triangle going down her middle until its point touched her waist-area. The shoulder-straps were dark pink and segued into white frills, with a layer of pink frills visible beneath those. On her chest was a pink bow in the same color of the straps and the choker that adorned her neck. Over the center of the bow was a red-pink Greek cross, glinting in the light. That wasn't the only decoration the bow had, as it had a pleated pink ribbon descending from its bottom, and a section of scalloped white lace coming from its top.

On her arms were snug white arm-warmers that reached her elbows, pink trim along their tops. The bottoms, however, were pink and fanned out in slight bell shapes.

Around her waist was a dark pink ribbon, sloping down slightly to meet the white front-triangle. Where all points met was another, smaller red-pink cross. The skirt itself fanned out, the top layer the same pink as the top of the dress, splitting to reveal another layer of white skirt. And beneath those was a darker skirt – all three layers widely and loosely pleated.

On her legs were pink legwarmers, a little thicker than the arm-warmers. They had dark pink bows at the outer-ankles, and beneath them were white high-heeled boots. The heels and toes were the same pink as the top layer of her dress, and with the leg-warmers in the way it was impossible to tell how tall they were.

She wore tiny Greek crosses on her ears, the same shade as the other two. The bow that held her hair in place had the same ornament sitting atop a layer of pale pink ribbon, then a dark pink bow.

The newly-born Pretty Cure slowly drew one hand up until it rested over her heart, inhaling deeply before speaking, a picture of serenity. **"The calming scent of rosewood..."** She twirled around once, spreading her arms again as if to accept a hug. **"Cure Remedy!"**

* * *

Cure Remedy stared at her hands, astonished. What...what just happened? Was that her talking? Was this her now, in these clothes?! "I...I'm...

 _"I'm adorable!"_ she shrieked, hands flying to her cheeks as she blushed faintly.

"You are, pedi!" Penny cheered, flying near Remedy's head.

"BYOOUUU!" The monster, once confused and staring at the sudden appearance of a Pretty Cure, seemed to regain its bearings just then. With a shriek, it flung itself towards Remedy, who stood at the other end of the street.

Time seemed to go into slow-motion as Remedy lowered her hands, her smile becoming a glare of determination. In one fluid motion, she flung her arm out in front of Penny, moving her behind herself as she moved in front to protect the fairy...

...and then it seemed to go back to normal as she suddenly snapped her arms forward, grabbing the Byouki's disgusting hands and bearing down, keeping it from moving forward. The ground shook again with the force of their motions, but Remedy didn't seem to care, her head tilted downwards.

"B-Byou?!"

Unnoticed by all, Fever and Inge ran into view, atop a roof. Fever's eyes widened, disbelief on her features. "Don't tell me-"

"You were the one who hurt this poor little owl?" Remedy said, her voice low, a dangerous growl. _"I won't forgive you!"_ Her head snapped up, revealing the furious look in her eyes. "I _definitely_ can't forgive you!"

Suddenly she let go of one of the Byouki's hands, pulling it towards her with the other hand. As the Byouki was pulled forward, Remedy curled her fingers into a fist, and slammed it into the Byouki's mid-section. She let go just as her fist made impact, allowing the monster to fly backwards.

It struggled as it got back to its feet, shaking itself to clear its head. Whatever constituted as its head. But it didn't have much time to do anything else. The Byouki looked up just in time to see Cure Remedy racing down the street towards it, roaring in fury of her own. "B-Byou?!" it shrieked.

Remedy suddenly jumped into the air and did a spin-kick, knocking the Byouki into a nearby tree. Leaves and flower petals flew through the air upon impact.

"Remedy, finish it off, pedi!" Penny yelled.

"Right!"

Remedy touched the pulse points of her wrists, blowing pink bubbles of light floating into the air at her touch. She drew her arms apart, then clapped her hands together to make the bubbles converge into one ball of pink light, tiny bubbles and sparkles spiraling around it. **"Pretty Cure..."** She held her hands together for a moment longer before dragging her left hand down to touch her wrist wrist, her right hand curling in all her fingers but the thumb and pointer, so she was making a gun-shape at the Byouki. **"Rose Pulse!"**

The ball of light, which had been hovering and glowing above her hands until that point, suddenly shot forward, growing bigger and bigger as it moved for its target. It hit the Byouki and immediately expanded, trapping it in a giant pink bubble of light. The Byouki tried to escape, but the bubble was too strong as it slowly rose into the air. The bubble slowly shrank, becoming more opaque...and suddenly exploded, covering the area in bright pink light. All that remained of the Byouki was glob of black gunk that looked like a cockroach, flailing desperately in the half-second before it too exploded.

Remedy stared at the spot the Byouki once stood, trembling faintly in the excitement of the moment. Then she laughed and turned around, holding her arms out. "Penny!" she cried.

"Cure Remedy, pedi!" Penny cheered, flying into Airi's arms. "You did it!"

From the rooftops, Inge was seething. "That's totally unfair!" she shrieked. "Fever, make another one!"

"No. We need to report this...C'mon, Inge, before she sees us!" And then they were gone.

* * *

Meanwhile, Isano sat in her room, trying to concentrate on her homework. It was pretty difficult when one was coughing and sneezing constantly- Wait.

Isano blinked, straightening in her seat. Slowly, she reached up and hooked her finger over the edge of her mask, and tugged it down. "M-my cold..." she whispered. "It's gone! Like magic..."

* * *

ED: "PreCure, Healing Hearts!" - Hitomi Yoshida

* * *

ON THE NEXT EPISODE:

Penny: "Airi, what are you doing, pedi?"

Airi: "Well, if a Pretty Cure is a hero, then I've got to get in better shape! I've got to push myself and make sure I'm super-strong, just as heroes should be!"

Penny: "Is that really okay, pedi?"

Airi: "Of course it is! Next time on Cure Cure! PreCure: 'So I'm A Hero?' Be well, everyone!"


	2. Chapter 2

"Hm, so Pretty Cure are legendary warriors?"

"That's right, pedi!"

"And I'm one now, too?"

"Yes, pedi!"

Airi leaned over the edge of the tub, arms folded with her chin resting on them. Her long hair was piled up in a messy bun atop her head to keep the mountains of bubble bath from getting in it. Penny sat across from her, wrapped up in damp, nice-smelling towels. She ruffled her damp feathers a little before speaking again. "That was my very big job, pedi! I need to find the legendary warriors to save my home, pedi!"

"And I'm one because I smelled the Cure Balm?" Airi tilted her head.

"No, no, no," Penny shook herself side-to-side. "Not just anyone can be Pretty Cure, and just because you open a Cure Balm doesn't mean you'll be a Pretty Cure, pedi! I'm not sure what the qualifications are myself, but it definitely isn't pure luck, pedi!"

Airi let out a tiny sigh of relief before smiling again. "That's good. I was a little worried, pedi!"

"Eh? Why would you be worried, pedi?" Penny asked as Airi chuckled a little to herself.

"Mm...no reason, really. It doesn't matter, it's okay!" Airi said. "Okay, now come here a second, I need to look at your wound."

* * *

Suzuko and Ichijo stared as Airi devoured her breakfast. She was eating a lot faster, and a lot more, than usual, tilting her plate towards her mouth as she pushed eggs and bacon into it. Between shovels of those, she took a few bites of a muffin, toast, and a drank of milk. Definitely not her usual breakfast.

Ichijo glanced at Suzuko, brows knitted in concern. Then he cleared his throat, looking back at Airi. "Hey, sweetheart," he began awkwardly.

"Hm?" Airi lowered her plate to peer at Ichijo over it.

The man faltered for a moment, thinking of how to ask about a girl's eating _politely_ , then sighed and seemed to give up. "Remember that tonight is hamburger steak," he said instead.

"Oh! Of course!" Airi lowered her (now-clean) plate and smiled, eyes sparkling a little. "If that's the case, can you put extra onion on mine?"

"Wh-what?!" Suzuko cried, nearly dropping her coffee cup. "But you _hate_ onion!"

"Well, uhm...I think I'd like to endure it this time!" Airi said, pumping her fists. "Ah! I should go to school!" she cried, suddenly checking her watch. With no more words said, Airi deposited her plate in the sink, ran back to the table to kiss her parents goodbye, and finally ran for the door.

"Airi!" Suzuko and Ichijo cried at the same time. But the sound of the door opening and closing told them it was too late. The two looked at each other with twin expressions of concern, then sighed.

* * *

OP: "Healing Charm" – STAR ANIS

* * *

"Airi, why are you running, pedi?" Penny peeked out of Airi's schoolbag. Hadn't Airi said something about not running very well just yesterday? And besides that... "You just ate a lot, pedi! You'll get a bad tummy-ache!"

Airi shook her head. "M-mm! I'll be fine! Because..." Her eyes shone with determination as she ran up the hill towards school, taking the long way again. "I'm a warrior now, and I have to train and endure and everything else warriors do! B-besides," she added in a more sheepish voice, "I need to work on running faster if I'm going to be a Pretty Cure. Okay, let's go!" she cheered again, putting on another burst of speed.

* * *

TODAY'S EPISODE: **So I'm A Hero?**

* * *

She regretted her actions immediately upon getting to class.

Airi sat bent over her desk, her forehead against the cool, smooth wood. Her arms were wrapped around her abdomen as she groaned slightly. Ohhh, that had been a horrible idea, yup.

Azumi stared at her over the book she was leading the class in reading, a concerned look on her face. "Miss Honda, are you alright?" she asked.

"Y-yes, ma'am..." Airi slowly sat up. "I-I'm fine..."

"Are you sure? You look pale."

"Fit as a fiddle, Ms Miyamoto. Peachy..." Airi mumbled, forcing a smile before groaning again and leaning back over the desk.

Azumi stared for a moment longer before redirecting her attention to her book, muttering a bit. "If this goes on for much longer, I really will send you to the nurse. Okay," she said again, in a louder voice as Airi made herself sit back up. "Miss Yamazaki, would you read the next paragraph?"

* * *

It felt as if the land itself were sick.

Their home was dark, sick and dying. The ground was barren, the few remaining trees withered, skinny and hunched over like skeletons. Inside every house was but one small, dim light; the sounds of weak coughing, low moans echoing from each home.

But they were all too far from the castle to be heard.

The castle stood atop a cliff, just as dark and twisty as the rest of the kingdom. Inside was cold and damp, though there were numerous lit torches, a fire in every room in a vain attempt to keep the most important occupant warm. Occasionally, the loud sound of a dry, hacking cough resounded through the halls, echoing in the emptiness.

At the sound, Fever briefly halted in her steps to her colleague's room, but then steeled herself and kept going. After a few moments, she reached a large door and pushed it open.

The difference was staggering. On the other side of the door was a brightly-lit room, more like a small rec room than a stone castle. In the middle of the pale tan carpet sat a young man in loose, white pajamas with a blanket spread over his shoulders like a cape, the lower half of his pale face covered by a face mask. Occasionally he would cough, shaking his frame lightly and making his thick, curly black hair bounce a little. He paid no notice to this, however, instead just focusing on the drama on TV; he didn't even notice Fever and Inge come in.

The room's other occupant, however, did. A young woman with long, blue-gray hair and pale skin looked up from the TV and crossed the room to Fever. Unlike her partner, she was dressed a bit more fancy, wearing a floor-length dark gray dress with split in the front of the skirt to show off her dark red high-heeled boots. Midway up the skirt was an asymmetrical line of red ruffles that segued into darker gray material for the rest of the dress. The red ruffles appeared again to form her square neckline, and dark gray gloves covered her arms. Although her bangs were long enough to hide her eyes, Fever knew she was looking directly at her. "Do you have news on the Healing Flower?"

"No, I have something worse," Fever sighed, but before she could go on, Inge interrupted.

"There's a Pretty Cure! The owl found a Pretty Cure and that stupid pink girl ruined our Byouki! And the whole town is _full_ of flowers so we'll _never_ find the Healing Flower and-" She was cut off when Fever casually covered her snout with a hand, looking irritated.

"Yeah, Inge just about summed it up," she said.

The young man turned his head to stare at Fever with half-lidded, shadowed dark eyes. He coughed once before speaking. "She wasn't too much to handle, was she?"

Inge began shouting, but it was indistinct and muffled, waving her arms furiously.

"She got lucky, that's all," Fever said, frowning. "She's just one girl so far, I think I can handle her!"

"And the flower?"

"Nothing, Toxic," Fever sighed, looking at her male companion. "It's like Inge said, there's flowers everywhere. Finding it will be like finding a needle in a haystack."

"The queen did that on purpose," muttered the woman, Poison. "It's okay. Blight says he has all the time in the world to wait for us to find it – he says he's been like this for years already, one more won't make much difference," she added, in a slightly depressed tone.

"Just make sure to get rid of the girl next time," said Toxic, turning back to the TV

"Of course," said Fever as she released Inge at last. She looked at the TV too, sitting next to Toxic. "What's on?"

* * *

 _Tweet_! "Honda, you're up next!"

"Right!" Airi stood at the starting line, body taut as she glared at the white line three meters away. At the sound of the whistle, she took off...at a faster speed than usual, much to her friends' shock.

"Ai-Airi?" Kiko mumbled, blinking.

Airi reached the finish line, stomping on it like it was a spider. "I did it! How'd I do?!" she asked the gym teacher.

The man checked his stopwatch. "About-"

"No, wait! I want to go again!"

"Huh?!" The teacher lowered the watch and blinked. "But I didn't even tell you your time."

"I think I was too slow! I wanna do it again, please!" Airi repeated.

After a moment, the teacher sighed. "Alright, back into position...and, go!"

Airi took off again and-

Tripped, smacking her face against the ground, hard. There was a collective wince from the gathered students; Fuuka and Kiko ran forward to help their friend to her feet. Airi laughed sheepishly as a red mark slowly appeared in the middle of her face. "Sh-shoe must have been untied..."

"Airi, what's gotten _into_ you?" asked Kiko as she and Fuuka led her to the bleachers. "You never volunteer to run again, and you just took off the first time!"

"G-Granted it still wasn't that fast..." mumbled Fuuka, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, looking away sheepishly. "But still, it's the principle of the thing!"

"I just...thought I should be a bit faster, that's all!" said Airi.

"Why?" Kiko asked bluntly.

"Uh- to..." Airi thought frantically. She couldn't tell her friends about being a Pretty Cure! They'd be in danger from Byouki, just like Penny had been! "To uhm...c-compete with Yamazaki!"

 _"Ehhhh?"_ the other two chorused, and they looked over their shoulders at the next runner.

Mio Yamazaki, a girl with short, orange hair in a boyish cut, stood tense at the starting line. The whistle sounded, and she took off like a shot, leaving tiny clouds of dust in her wake. In no time flat, she cleared the finish line and the whistle sounded again, barely audible among the cheers of her admirers.

"Uh...no offense Airi, but you're a hundred years too early to compete with Yamazaki," said Kiko in a deadpan voice.

"She's been running since she was in kindergarten!" Fuuka said.

Airi flushed slightly. "W-Well!" she stammered. "I just...I don't mean compete like on Sports Day! I mean it like...like I personally admire her and it's my goal to be as fast as her!" Well, okay, that wasn't technically a lie. She should be as fast as Mio, if not faster, when she was Cure Remedy. And Airi did admire how athletic, cool and popular the other girl was. So it wasn't totally a lie, right?

Right!

"And you thought this was a good way to do it?" asked Fuuka, jarring Airi out of her thoughts. "I'm sure if you talked to her about it, she'd take you under her wing!"

"You think so?" Airi's voice quavered only slightly in her awkwardness. Well, great, it looked like now she had to keep on with that story...

...except come to think it, that wasn't a bad idea. She wanted to run faster, right? That would go towards developing further strengths. If she wanted to run faster...

* * *

"What?"

"Please teach me how to be fast like you!" Airi cried, fists bunching at her chest.

It was now lunchtime, and Airi had left the pushed-together desks she shared with Kiko and Fuuka to talk to Mio Yamazaki. Mio sat at her desk, idly blowing on her tangerine-colored nail polish. She blinked her gold eyes, expression blank. Apparently that wasn't what she expected to hear during her lunch hour.

"I want to be very very very fast!" Airi gasped, clapping her hands together and bowing her head. "As soon as I can!"

"Impossible," was Mio's quick reply. Airi lifted her head, gaping as she watched Mio apply another coat of polish and blow on it. "I'm sorry, Honda, but it's impossible for you to get as fast as me...at least, not as quick as I'm sure you'd like," she added.

"I-"

"I've seen you run before, Honda. No offense but you're not very fast...and you've never seemed to have an issue until now. So did something happen?" Mio's smile looked a bit devious. "Is there a boy you like on the boys' track team?~"

"A-Ah-!"

"I'm just kidding." Mio folded her arms on her desk and leaned forward, a stern expression on her face. "Listen, Honda, it took a long time for me to get to where I am. Like, I've been running since kindergarten-"

"S-So I hear..." mumbled Airi despondently.

"And it takes a healthy daily diet, and perseverance, and lots of hydration...and I'm sure you've got those covered, but Honda, it's _years_ of conditioning that got me running this fast in life. And you...well, you can get faster, I can help with that, but it won't be overnight. Do you understand that?"

Airi just nodded mutely.

Something softened in Mio's expression, and she reached over to pat Airi's shoulder. "Hey, it's not the end of the world though! If you wanna be fast, you still can. It just won't be as fast as you might like. If you want, you can meet me in the morning before school for a little jog!"

"Really?!" Airi's eyes seemed to sparkle as she lifted her head. "I get up early anyway, so- would it really be okay?"

"Sure."

Everyone turned their heads to stare when Airi leaped into the air with a loud _"Wahoo!"_

* * *

 _Eyecatch 1: Airi walks unsteadily between Kiko and Fuuka, balancing Penny atop her head. Suddenly she trips and pitches forward, causing Penny to fall. Fuuka and Kiko each grab one of her upper arms, and Airi holds her hands together to catch Penny. Everyone laughs as the Cure Cure! PreCure logo appears.  
Eyecatch 2: The three Cure Balms appear in mid-air, rotating around each other before flying in different directions. We then see each girl has caught her respective Cure Balm, and opens it up. In flashes of pink, blue, and yellow light, the girls transform into the Cure selves and smile dreamily as they inhale the scent of their balms. The Cure Cure! PreCure logo appears in the corner._

* * *

Airi had never been up this early before. Well, not out and about this early. She walked up the hill to school, breath fogging up ever so slightly in the chilly morning air. The skies were a lovely shade of light purple mixed with pink, with fluffy golden clouds as the sun peeked over the horizon. Apparently this was when Mio had her morning jogs around the school track. Airi couldn't blame her, really.

"It's _beautiful_ , pedi!" Penny cried, peering out of Airi's schoolbag.

Yup, that was Airi's thought exactly.

"Yamazaki is so lucky," she said. "She gets to see this all the time!"

* * *

Mio ran alone on the track, breathing not even the slightest bit uneven. It was true what she'd said; she'd been running since she was little. This was nothing to her, this was just a little wake-up routine.

"I hope Honda shows up," she admitted with a wry smile. "Hopefully I didn't scare her off..."

She didn't notice the air above her beginning to ripple. Nor did she notice when a girl stepped out and floated in mid-air.

Fever watched the girl running, eyes narrowing a bit. "Who is she, showing off like that?" she grumbled. "When so many people _can't_ run because they're too sick?" Suddenly, she held her arm out in front of herself, palm up, and snapped her fingers. A black sphere of energy appeared over her hand, and with a flick of her wrist it was sent careening towards Mio. "Give me your livelihood!" Fever shouted.

Mio suddenly fell to the ground, coughing loudly into her fist as sweat beaded on her forehead. "O-Oh my God-" she wheezed. "I – I don't feel...s-so good..."

* * *

Airi jogged over to the track, waving one arm over her head. "Yamazaki, I'm-"

And she skidded to a halt, gaping in disgust and terror.

From where she was standing, she could see something wriggling in the center of Mio's back, over the spine. As she watched, something black and slimy slowly pulled itself out of Mio, though it didn't tear her skin or clothes. It seemed to be going _through_ them; bloodless but no less disgusting. The wiggling grew more frenzied as it emerged further, Mio's coughing growing louder. Finally with a sickening _pop_ , it burst out; a giant, glistening black cockroach.

Up above, Fever smirked, her outstretched hand surrounded by a pitch-black aura. "Come out, Byouki!" she cried.

The cockroach flew into the air, pulsating rapidly. It flashed once, black overtaking Airi's vision-

"BYOOUUU!" roared the creature, slamming onto the ground in front of Mio.

Mio fell back, eyes wide as she tried to scream. It quickly dissolved into another coughing fit, even as she tried to scurry backwards and get away.

"Yamazaki!" Airi screamed. **"Pretty Cure! Healing Love~! The calming scent of rosewood, Cure Remedy!"**

Mio tried to scream again as the huge monster swung its open palm at her - and then she felt her hair and clothes ruffling in the sudden wind as she was picked up and carried away. She blinked in surprise, looking down at the very pink girl who had appeared from nowhere. "Wh-who-?" she began, only to be interrupted by more coughing.

"Don't worry, Yamazaki!" the girl said, setting her down on the top bleacher, away from the tracks. "I'm Cure Remedy, and I'll make you well again!"

"Huh?" Mio blinked. "W-Wait, how do you know my-?" But Remedy, whoever that was, was already leaping back to the track.

"You can do it, pedi!" Penny shouted from her position on the ground, safe near the fence.

The Byouki looked a bit different this time. It was still huge and sickly yellow, covered in gross splotches, its mouth was still full of green mucus and glistening fangs, furious bloodshot eyes still glared down at her. But now it was in the vague shape of a person, wearing a gym uniform. Again, it would have been funny if not for, well, the rest of it. "BYOOUU!" it roared, hot, sour breath in Remedy's face.

Remedy crossed her arms in front of her face, stomach turning slightly from the smell. "Y-You're hurting Yamazaki!" she shouted, leaping backwards and out of reach when the Byouki swung a fist at her. "I'll purify you right now! Pretty Cur- Gyah!" she shrieked as the Byouki recovered from its first attempt and swung again. This time, its strike hit true, and Remedy flew across the field, crashing into the chain-link fence and denting it.

"Remedy, pedi!" Penny shrieked.

Remedy shakily rose to her feet, wincing slightly. "This...this is nothing!" she yelled. "This is nothing compared to what Yamazaki must be going through!"

The Byouki charged forward, its form a blur as it shot towards Remedy and swatted her into the air. The force was like a freight train, Remedy screaming again as she flew skyward. The Byouki wasted no time, leaping into the air after her – and then quickly surpassing her to smack her back down to Earth.

Remedy screamed as she fell back down, hitting the ground half a second later. The force of impact created a huge crater, chunks of earth flying upward.

Fever grinned as she watched the Byouki hurtle down towards Remedy, feet-first as if to crush her like a bug. "This will be easier than I thought. I don't know what I was so worried ab - _out?!"_ she squeaked, eyes widening.

The Byouki had landed with only one of its feet on the ground. The other was elevated, its leg bent at the knee and trembling slightly. The reason for this was clear when Fever took a closer look.

Cure Remedy still lay on her back, with her arms raised to grab the monster's foot. They shook slightly with effort, but she still held the Byouki's foot up. "You...stop..." she managed to get out through clenched teeth. Her closed eyes slowly opened, blazing with determination and anger. "Making...her... _sick!"_

At the last word, Remedy put all her strength into her arms, hurling the Byouki to the side. It crashed onto the ground, creating another crater several feet away from the Cure.

"What the-?" Fever gasped from her vantage point.

Remedy was already rising to her feet. "Alright, let's finish this! **"Pretty Cure Rose Pulse!"**

Once again, the Byouki was caught in a purifying bubble, becoming nothing more than a slimy, black cockroach. It shrieked pitifully, then exploded just as before.

In the bleachers, Mio sat with her hands over her mouth as her coughing abruptly stopped.

Fever bit her thumbnail. "Tch...no good. And I certainly can't look for the Healing Flower while a Pretty Cure is here." With that, she slipped into the ripple to take her back home, and was gone.

Remedy stood on the track, smiling a little as everything went back to normal, the damage to the school grounds repairing itself. She turned towards the bleachers, smiling up at Mio. "Are you healthy?" she called out in a gentle voice.

Mio just wordlessly nodded, blinking.

"I'm glad! Be well!" Remedy said, lifting a hand in a farewell greeting before leaping out of sight.

* * *

Five minutes later, Mio was on the track again, stretching. But her mind wasn't on the exercises. _Who was that girl?_ she thought, frowning. _And that monster...what_ _ **was**_ _all that?_

"Yamazakiiii!"

Mio blinked, then smiled as she straightened up and turned to see Airi running towards her. "Honda! I was wondering if you'd show up. I was starting to think I might have scared you off."

"Hee..." Airi smiled sheepishly and put a hand behind her head. "No, no, I'm not scared of running at all!"

Mio's expression softened a bit, then turned serious. "Honda, listen. I do want to ask you; do you really want to run with me? It'll be a _daily_ commitment, you know. I don't know what your own schedule is like, but I know you have your own friends to hang out with, homework..."

"Well..." Airi fidgeted a bit, twisting her fingers. "When you put it that way, something else just came up that needs a lot of attention. I don't think I _can_ make this a daily thing like you do. But!" She looked back up, face flushing. "I would like to run with you today!"

Mio grinned. "Alright. Then I'll give you a few pointers so you can also run on your own time. 'kay?"

"'kay! Oh! I almost forgot!" Airi dug into her pocket and pulled out a small, orange bottle. "Here," she said as Mio took it. "It's nail polish that's been infused with a scented oil. Go ahead, smell it!"

"Hmm..." Mio frowned lightly as she unscrewed the top and delicately sniffed the bottle's neck. Then her eyes lit up as she smiled broadly. "Wow, it smells like grapefruit!"

"Yep! The citrus smell will give you more energize and revitalize you!" Airi said, lifting an index finger as if she were giving a lecture.

"Thanks, Honda! But why would you give me this?"

"You're teaching me about running, right? And we're friends, aren't we?" Airi smiled and tilted her head, braids delicately falling over one shoulder. "We're classmates, after all! _And_ you're already being so nice to me."

Mio blinked once again, and another smile appeared on her face. "Thanks, Honda...I appreciate that." Abruptly, her smile looked a bit mischievous, and she pounded Airi on the back with the flat of her hand. "Now then! No more distractions – we've got to whip you into shape, at least for this morning!"

"Waaah?"

"First, begin with stretches! I wanna see some lunges from you, on the double~!"

"Y-Yes, ma'am!"

* * *

ED: "PreCure, Healing Hearts!" - Hitomi Yoshida

* * *

ON THE NEXT EPISODE:

Fuuka: "Say, Airi, you've been acting a little odd lately, haven't you?"

Airi: "I – I don't know what you mean, Fuuka! Hahaha!"

Fuuka: "See, that's it! You're nervous, you're jumpy, you act like you're hiding something...Airi, is there something awful going on?! You can tell me, I want to help you!"

Airi: "U-Uh...F-Fuuka, there's really nothing you can do-"

Fuuka: "Yes, there is – there must be! Next time on Cure Cure! PreCure: 'A New Ally! Cure Vaccine Appears!' Be well, everyone!"


	3. Chapter 3

Three cats; one gray, one orange, and one white, circled around Fuuka's legs as she poured food into three tiny bowls, meowing gently. Occasionally one would pause to rub against her legs and purr, but then it would go right back to begging.

Fuuka giggled, resealing the food bag. "Do, Re, Mi, calm down! Okay, here's your breakfast."

A short time later, she unlocked her grandmother's door and set the woman's mail on the hallway table. "Grandma! I'm going to school!" she called into the house.

An elderly voice drifted from down the hall. "Have a good day, dear!"

Fuuka smiled, though her grandma couldn't see it, and shut the door.

* * *

OP: "Healing Charm" – STAR ANIS

* * *

That morning at school, Fuuka entered the classroom as she usually did, and then it was routine from there. Lower her schoolbag onto the floor and take her seat, push her chair in, check for the fourth time that day if she had her homework. Smile and wave as Kiko came in, and...

And she frowned lightly when she saw Airi. Normally she didn't do that – if they didn't meet on the way to school, she normally smiled and waved at her. But this time she had a good reason for the sour expression.

Airi was yawning. And that was not usual!

"Airi?" Fuuka whispered. "Is something wrong?"

"Hah? Oh, it's nothing!" the pink-haired girl laughed sheepishly. "I'm just a little tired today, that's all!"

Fuuka frowned. "Are you sick?"

"No, no!"

"Then if you don't mind me asking..."

"Uhm..." Airi's eyes darted from side to side. "Uhmmmm..."

Airi was saved from further questioning when the school chime went off, and Azumi stood up from her desk. "Alright, everyone, let's begin!"

Fuuka trained her eyes forward, but she wasn't done with this. Not by a long shot.

* * *

TODAY'S EPISODE: A New Ally! Cure Vaccine Appears!

* * *

The first half of the day passed without incident. Fuuka kept glancing over at Airi from the corner of her eyes to be sure, but she didn't seem sick or upset. Still, something gnawed at Fuuka's heart. She couldn't let this go, right?

And sure enough, something odd did happen later, at lunch time.

She and Kiko shared glances as they walked to their usual spot on the fountain's edge. "Say, Airi," Fuuka began.

"Yes?"

"We don't wanna pry, but..." Kiko pointed at Airi's hands. "Why do you have _two_ lunches?"

"That's going to hurt your stomach, especially if you try to eat both of them at once!" Fuuka cried.

"Uh..." Airi laughed sheepishly, looking from one lunch to the other as if she'd never seen them before.

"Don't tell me they're both for you?" Kiko raised an eyebrow, the hand that wasn't holding her lunch going to her hip.

Fuuka suddenly gasped, eyes widening. "Oh my – Airi, have you been hungrier than usual as of late? Feeling like no matter how much you eat, you're never full?"

"Wh-"

"If that's what's going on, you should get to the doctor right away! My mom says prolonged extreme hunger is a possible sign of diabetes, or you could have a tapeworm!"

"What's a tapeworm?" asked Kiko.

"It's a parasite in the-"

 _"I don't have a parasite!"_ Airi squeaked, looking a little green at the thought. "I just- Hold on!" With those words, she ran for the school building, leaving her friends staring after her.

* * *

A short time later, Airi came running back to the fountain, with only one lunch. "Sorry, girls!" she panted.

"Did you return the extra lunch?" Fuuka asked quietly.

"O-Oh no, I had to give it to someone."

"Wait." Kiko lowered her meatball sandwich with a frown. "You had to buy food for someone else? We didn't see anyone give you money."

"It was my money, and-"

 _"Wait._ You used _your own_ money to buy a lunch for someone else? Someone we didn't even see asking you if you could?" Kiko's frown grew heavier. "So, what, were you repaying a favor or-?"

"It's not like that!" Airi forced a laugh, brushing some dust off the fountain and taking her seat between the other two girls. "Uhm, I'm sorry, but can we please not talk about it anymore? I'm really hungry!" And before either of them could ask another question, Airi was unwrapping her melon bread and tearing off a piece to pop in her mouth.

Fuuka frowned again, slowly sipping her strawberry milk. _Something's going on here..._ she thought.

* * *

 _Tweet! Tweeeeeet!_ "Everyone back away! Give her some air!"

The students did as they were told, clearing some room so the gym teacher could reach their fallen classmate. That gym period they had been doing hurdle-jumping, and unfortunately, one of the girls had an accident when her foot tangled in the hurdle.

A girl with long black hair in a ponytail lay on the ground in a crumpled heap, clutching her bleeding shin and sobbing in pain and embarrassment. "I feel so _stupiiiid..."_ she cried, blinking back tears as her teacher knelt by her side.

"Kozu, it's alright. These things happen," the teacher said. "Okay, deep breaths, deep breaths. Elevate your leg a bit, stay calm...Would someone get a medical kit from my office?" she called out. "Kozu needs disinfectant and a gauze bandage!

"I'll get it, ma'am!" Fuuka announced, already jogging towards the building.

Once inside, she hurriedly moved past the lockers and changing areas, going towards the teacher's office. "Okay, she keeps the medicine kit in the-" she murmured. But then a familiar, hushed voice gave her pause.

"I'm _sorry,_ I'm really sorry!" came Airi's frantic voice.

"Airi?" Fuuka stopped, blinking. She took a few steps closer to the door to the girls' changing rooms, where the voice was coming from. Airi had said she had to use the bathroom earlier, but...the bathroom wasn't over there. And who was she talking to?

"I'm sorry...I promise I'll see you later. I know you want to see me now but- Yes, I know...I'm _so sorry."_

"...Airi?" Fuuka's voice shook a little. This...this sounded bad. Airi sounded _really_ upset.

"I know. Yes. Yes, I'm sorry but-"

Fuuka's foot bumped into the wall. The sound was small, but apparently loud enough for Airi to notice, as she quickly ran back through the door, her eyes wide. "Fuuka! Sorry, was I taking too long?" she said with an awkward smile.

Fuuka just stared with lowered eyebrows, looking Airi over. She didn't _appear_ to be harmed but...But she was pale, her smile was forced, she looked jittery. Something had to be wrong!

"Who were you talking to, Airi?" she asked.

"Huh?"

"Are they still out there?!" Fuuka looked over her shoulder, but the hallway was empty. "Airi, who was that?"

"No one!" Airi laughed, one hand behind her head. "Say, uhm, why are you in here?"

"Ah! Kozu!" Fuuka cried, running to the teacher's office.

It wasn't until later that she realized, once again, Airi had completely dodged her question.

* * *

Toxic lay curled up on the floor in front of the TV, his blanket draped over him and drawn to his shoulders. Fever sat by his feet with Inge on her shoulder, while Poison pressed a bare hand to his forehead.

"Hmm..." the woman said. "You're not very warm."

"I told you before, it's not a _fever_ , it's a _cough_ ," grumbled the young man. "And it's so troublesome...my throat feels like - _kff!kff!_ \- someone's rubbed sandpaper all around the inside of it, I can't breathe too deeply, and – _kff!_ \- I can't hear what the characters on this show are saying."

"The little sister just betrayed her whole family and the older sister is furious," supplied Inge.

Poison sighed loudly, gently swatting Toxic on the shoulder. "Alright, if no one here is up to task – one of you is sick and the other two are entranced by that television-"

"Yup," said Inge.

"Then I guess _I'll_ be the one trying to accomplish something."

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Honda residence, Airi was clad in her pajamas after an early bath, rubbing scented lotion onto her hands.

"Airi, pedi?" Penny called from her seat on the toilet-lid.

"Hm?"

"Are you supposed to rub your hands a hundred times, pedi? Because that's how many times you've done that, pedi."

"Oh! Ahaha, it's not that, Penny, pedi," laughed Airi. She stopped rubbing her hands and walked over to the fairy, picking her up and taking her out of the bathroom. "I was just thinking about my friend, Fuuka...she seems pretty worried."

"You should talk to her then, pedi!"

"I can't do that..." Airi sighed.

"Why not?"

"Well...well, this legendary warrior thing might get her hurt! Her and Kiko both. I can't tell anyone else I'm a Pretty Cure...it would put whoever I tell in danger, too."

"But she's your friend, pedi! She deserves to know, right?"

"Not if I want her to be safe..." Airi said, her tone distant and morose.

* * *

 _Eyecatch 1: Airi walks unsteadily between Kiko and Fuuka, balancing Penny atop her head. Suddenly she trips and pitches forward, causing Penny to fall. Fuuka and Kiko each grab one of her upper arms, and Airi holds her hands together to catch Penny. Everyone laughs as the Cure Cure! PreCure logo appears.  
Eyecatch 2: The three Cure Balms appear in mid-air, rotating around each other before flying in different directions. We then see each girl has caught her respective Cure Balm, and opens it up. In flashes of pink, blue, and yellow light, the girls transform into the Cure selves and smile dreamily as they inhale the scent of their balms. The Cure Cure! PreCure logo appears in the corner._

* * *

 _Fuuka lay draped over her desk, groaning and rubbing one of her eyes._

" _Mori? Are you okay?" a gentle voice asked._

" _Hm?" Fuuka blinked her tired, dull eyes and looked up. A pink-haired girl with braids stood in front of her desk, a concerned smile on her face. "O-Oh, Honda...what is it?" Fuuka asked as she pushed herself back into a sitting position._

" _I know we don't talk much, but I've noticed you've seemed pretty sleepy lately. Are you okay?"_

" _Hmm, yes, I'm fine. Just..." She yawned. "Tired."_

" _Tired?"_

 _Maybe it was the drowsiness making her tongue loose. Or maybe Airi just exuded this "you can confide in me!" aura. Either way, Fuuka found herself explaining. "I'm in all these activities around school...Book Club, teacher's aide, helping the gym teacher with the medicine kits, sometimes I help the lunch ladies dish up food...Sundays I volunteer at the soup kitchen, then there's my homework and chores at home, I help my grandmother..." Her eyes slowly closed as she sank back onto her desk. "And lately it's just been really tiring. I feel like I'm losing all my energy..."_

 _There was a long pause, and Fuuka was sure her classmate must have just dismissed her. Then her nostrils caught a citrus-y scent, and she felt something nudging her arm._

" _Mori~!" came the other girl's voice._

 _Fuuka looked back up to see Airi holding out a tiny orange container. "Rub this on your wrist," she whispered._

 _She obeyed, impulsively bringing her wrist up towards her nose. That same scent overtook her, and she couldn't help sighing blissfully. "Uwaaah, that smells nice..."_

" _It's an essential oil – citrus," the other girl explained with a gentle smile. "The citrus scent is refreshing and perks you up. It's not a substitute for sleep, but it'll get you through the day." She handed over the container. "You can keep it, I have more."_

" _Thank you..." Fuuka whispered._

" _And you know, if you're this overworked, maybe you should...drop some of those things?"_

" _Eh?" Fuuka sat up straighter, blinking._

" _My mom says that work is great, but too much is bad. And I think this is a case of 'bad!'" Airi said with a tiny laugh. "And uhm, I don't think you should drop **all** of them. Just what you can give up so you can get proper sleep."_

" _You know, I never actually considered that..." Fuuka mumbled, looking at her desk. "Mom was worried about me for a while, but I just ignored it. And now a classmate I barely speak to is noticing...It seems both of you are on to something," she sighed._

" _What do you mean? Of course I'll notice!"_

" _Hm?"_

 _Airi's smile was radiant. "We're friends, after all!"_

* * *

Fuuka lowered her fork back to her plate, staring at her dinner without really seeing it. _Friends..._

 _Airi..._

"Fuuka, dear?"

"Yes, Grandma?" Fuuka lifted her head, snapping back to reality.

Kaede, a dark, elderly woman with faded brown eyes and curly gray hair, sat opposite her granddaughter. She adjusted the pink blanket that draped across her shoulders before speaking again. "You've barely touched your hamburger steak, dear. I thought you liked hamburger steak."

"Oh, I do, I-"

"Something on your mind, dear?"

"Oh, uhm..." Fuuka looked back down at her barely-touched food, idly pushing a half-eaten carrot around in the gravy. After a moment, she inhaled, and quickly asked, "Grandma, what would you do if a friend was hiding something bad from you?"

Kaede lowered her cup of water. "Something bad, dear?"

"It's...it's my friend, Airi. I think she's in trouble. She's acting strangely, is evasive when I try to talk to her, she's talking to someone she won't let me see, she was made to buy them a lunch with her own money – she's never acted like this before. I'm sure she met someone who started bullying her, but I can't tell anyone without proof, and Airi won't let me talk to her about it.

"She's my best friend, and I don't know what I can do for her, Grandma..."

Kaede was silent for a few moments, considering her granddaughter. After a while, she spoke again; "Fuuka, dear, may I ask when you tried to speak with her?"

"Eh? A-At school..."

"Hmm, I see. In a crowded environment...Fuuka, dear, perhaps young Airi _couldn't_ speak to you about this. If it's a private or troubling matter, it may be best to speak to her in private."

"But what if she doesn't talk to me?"

"Then you reassure her that as her friend, you are here to listen and help her. If she continues to avoid you, and you still suspect trouble, then you may go to a teacher or your mother. Alright, dear?"

Fuuka thought for a moment, then nodded, a faint smile on her lips. "Alright...thanks, Grandma."

"Of course, dear. Now, here, have some more hamburger steak." Before Fuuka could protest, her grandmother was leaning over and scraping half of her own onto her plate. "A growing girl needs protein!"

"Grandma!"

* * *

Fuuka took a different route to school the next day; rather than take the hilltop path like she always did, she instead turned back to go towards Airi's house. Then she waited on one of the forks in the road for her friend to show up. Regardless of whether Airi took the direct route or the long way, she'd definitely run into her.

And soon enough, Airi came walking past, looking down at her bag and...talking?

"On Wednesdays they have cherry Danishes! I can get you-"

"Airi?"

"Kyaaah!" Airi flailed for a second before grabbing her bag almost protectively, her hands on the flap. "F-F-Fuuka! Good morning! You surprised me, hee..."

Fuuka didn't return Airi's gentle smile. Her hands tightened on her schoolbag's handle as she drew a deep breath. _Be direct...be direct..._ "Airi, is there something happening that you want to tell me about?"

Airi's face seemed to pale. Fuuka took this as a 'yes' and went ahead without waiting for a reply.

"Airi, listen! I-if...if something is troubling you, then I want to hear about it! You're my best friend and I want to be there for you and help you!"

"F-Fuuka..." Airi's eyes shifted slightly, towards her bag. She then coughed lightly, as if to clear her throat, and walked past her friend, down one of the more...'flowery' streets. "I know that but...But sometimes best friends have to keep secrets."

"Not if you're getting hurt!" Fuuka cried, surprised at how loud her own voice was suddenly getting. She followed Airi, reaching for her hand. "Airi! Are you being bullied?!"

Airi turned around, looking surprised – both at the outburst and how Fuuka had suddenly grabbed her hand. "What...?"

"I mean – what else is there?! You're tired and don't focus as well, you're buying two lunches with your own allowance and not telling us who the other is for, you're talking to someone outside of class and making all sorts of apologies, you're avoiding Kiko and I when we ask what's wrong – Airi, is someone hurting you? Do you need help? Because I'm more than willing to! Kiko will help you too, and we can get a teacher or – or police if we have to, just..." Her eyes watered a bit. "I don't like seeing my best friend like this...and knowing I can help but I'm un _able_ to!"

"Fuuka..." Airi began.

* * *

Unseen, high above, Poison teleported above the fields. "Hm...they were right, there's lots of flowers," she mused, glancing over the area. "Hmm...lot of work though...if I had a Byouki, I could make it do the work for me."

Her gaze fell upon an old lady several streets down, working on her garden.

"Ah, perfect~!" Poison held her arm out in front of herself, palm up, and snapped her fingers. A black sphere of energy appeared over her hand, and with a flick of her wrist it was sent flying, making a beeline for the elderly gardener. "Give me your livelihood!

The sphere sank into the old lady's back, between her shoulder blades, and she suddenly fell forward, hands over her mouth as she began coughing.

Poison grinned, snapping her fingers again as the wriggling black shape appeared on her victim's spine. "Come out, Byouki!"

The gunk cockroach lifted into the air, flashing black-

-and what dropped was a sickly-yellow, splotched monster that resembled a ten-foot-tall, rotting weed. It hit the ground hard, sending flowers into the air all around it, some of them withering a bit from the monster's powerful stench. "BYOOUUUU!"

* * *

Airi and Fuuka cried out in alarm – the field the Byouki was in was the one right next to their spot on the road. "Wh-what-!?" Fuuka cried.

"Airi!" a voice suddenly cried from Airi's bag. Before Fuuka's eyes, an adorable white owl flew out, looking desperately at Airi. "It's another Byouki, Airi!"

"Wh-what?!" Fuuka squeaked.

Airi looked between the owl and her friend, biting her lower lip. "I-"

"BYOOUUU!"

"That's right!" laughed a new voice; Fuuka looked up to see a lady hovering above the scene, sitting on nothing and propping her chin in her hands. "Tear the flowers up until you find the right one, Byouki!"

"I'm sorry, Fuuka!" Airi suddenly yelled. "This is what I was trying to keep you out of! **Pretty Cure! Healing Love~! The calming scent of rosewood, Cure Remedy!"**

Fuuka could only stare as her friend – now much pinker – shot towards the Byouki, a fist drawing back.

"Hyah!" Remedy threw her fist forward, punching the Byouki in the leg.

The Byouki stumbled slightly, turning around with wide eyes.

Remedy just grinned, landing lightly on the ground and readying her stance. "I've fought two of you already!" she said. "I'll get rid of you in no time!"

"Only two?" Poison called down, the sudden intruder having gotten her attention. "Tch – you're just a baby...Byouki!"

"BYOOUU!"

The Byouki shot a fist out to strike Remedy, but the pink Cure leaped into the air to dodge – only to be slammed by a second fist. She screamed as, much like the previous battle, she flew upward. This time, however, she didn't go too far, as the Byouki snatched her from mid-air with its other fist.

From a distance, Fuuka screamed, hands over her cheeks. _"Airi?!"_

"F-Fuuka..." Remedy gasped, as if suddenly remembering Fuuka was there. She couldn't see her, as her back was to her, but she still called out. "Fuuka! Fuuka, run away!"

"Wh-wha-"

"Fuuka, you were right!" Remedy screamed, voice straining as the Byouki began to squeeze her, restricting the air in her lungs. "I – I was hiding something from you but – But i-it wasn't what you thought-"

"It's _worse!_ " Fuuka interrupted, eyes tearing up in fear.

"Fuuka, listen, I – I just wanted to protect you! Haaah – I thought if I left you out of it, you would be safe from the monsters! I wanted what was best for you!"

"You think I would be happy with that?!" Fuuka cried, not angrily. "This is worse than what I thought, Airi! If you're facing these things, I wanted to help you! From the mundane to the – the supernatural or whatever this is, I want to help you!" She began to run forward, flower petals kicking up into the air. Her eyes were locked on Remedy's form in the monster's tightening fist, heedless of anything else. _"I still want to help you, Airi!"_

"Fuu - _gyaaaah!"_ Remedy screamed.

Fuuka's next words were directed at the Byouki, tears finally escaping her eyes. _**"Let go of my friend!"**_

From the drawstring bag around Penny's leg, a burst of golden light shot out towards Fuuka.

* * *

Fuuka opened her eyes wide, finding herself floating in a void of bright yellow light. "Wh-whaaa?" she cried, voice wavering a bit as her fists bunched at her chest. "Wh-wha- Airi!?"

"Pretty Cure, pedi~!" the cute owl from earlier flew over to Fuuka, the drawstring bag around her foot coming open. A bright yellow light surged from it towards Fuuka, bursting into sparkles to reveal a tiny yellow container of balm.

As Fuuka watched in stunned silence, the jeweled lid popped off the container, and the scent of lemon filled the air. "What is this?" she asked, a little calmer after inhaling the energizing scent.

"There's not much time to explain, pedi!" the owl said. "But my name is Penny!"

"Ah, it's nice to meet you. My name is Fuuka – w-wait a minute, what's going on?!" she cried.

"There's not much time, please, pedi!" the owl repeated. "In order to help Remedy, take the Cure Balm and say 'Pretty Cure, Healing Love,' pedi!"

"If it'll save Airi, I'll do whatever it takes!" Fuuka declared, snatching the Cure Balm out of the air.

* * *

All around her was bright yellow and warm gold intermingling, lemon-yellow bubbles of light and sparkles. The familiar smell of lemons surrounded her as she popped the lid off the Cure Balm. Holding the balm in one hand, Fuuka swiped her index finger over the balm, a determined expression on her face. ****"Pretty Cure!"**** Her clothes disappeared in a flash of yellow light, which also formed a leotard of sorts over herself. ****"Healing Love~!"**** With a look of concentration, she dabbed some of the balm on the pulse point of her wrist, then rubbed her wrists together so bright yellow light ringed her wrists, glowing sparkles and gold Greek crosses floating through it. She briefly brought one leg up in front of herself, knee at the chest, so she could dab some balm on her ankle, then smoothly switched legs to repeat the action. That same light appeared there too, and she stood straight, clicking her ankles together and holding her arms slightly-bent at her sides, face demurely downcast. As she did that, the light on both her ankles and wrists burst into glowing sparkles to reveal her boots and arm-warmers. She lifted her head up, dabbing more palm over her neck. The light appeared once again, and just as quickly burst away to reveal a ribbon with a bow tied at the side.

She then dabbed balm against the center of her chest and slowly leaned forward, hands clasped in front of herself, eyes closed. All of a sudden she threw her hands into the air, separating them as she tilted her head skyward. The glowing leotard she'd been wearing before burst into a shower of gold sparkles to become a layered dress. Her Cure Balm glowed slightly, then zipped into a hidden pocket of her skirt, for safe-keeping. Fuuka ignored this, instead bringing one hand up to her temple and sweeping her hand over her hair. A bright yellow glow followed her hand, enveloping her hair and expanding to cover all of it. Fuuka tossed her hair and the light burst apart again as her hair grew longer, more voluminous, and changed color. Now waist-length and a warm golden color, it was thick with large waves, the topmost section of it pulled to her left temple and secured with a hairclip, the remainder of it forming a ponytail. Fuuka opened her eyes, revealing they had changed from brown to amber yellow, and landed on an invisible floor, ankles together and arms folded gently in front of her chest.

She now wore a frilly, lacy dress in white and yellow. Her top was pale yellow, with a white upside-down triangle going down her middle until its point touched her waist-area, much like Remedy's outfit. The golden shoulder-straps segued into white frills, with a layer of yellow frills beneath. On her chest was a yellow bow with matching yellow lace peeping from beneath it. Over the center of the bow was an amber-gold Greek cross, glinting in the light. Much like Remedy, the chest-bow had scalloped white lace visible at the top.

On her arms were snug white arm-warmers that reached her upper arms, yellow trim along their tops and yellow fabric fanning out at the wrists.

Around her waist was a dark yellow ribbon, sloping down slightly to meet the white front-triangle. Where all points met was an amber cross. The slightly-pleated skirt itself fanned out in three layers; the top layer was a darker yellow than the top of her dress, the edges scalloped, splitting in the middle. Beneath that was another split skirt the same yellow as her top. Attached to that skirt, holding the split sides together was crimped white fabric to complete that layer. And the final layer was a warm yellow a shade between the lightest and darkest shades.

On her legs were pale yellow stockings that reached her mid-thigh. They had darker yellow fabric attached to them just above her ankle-boots, fanning out in the same way as the ones on her wrists, tiny amber bows at the outsides. The high-heeled, white ankle boots had pale yellow heels and toes.

She wore tiny Greek crosses on her ears, the same shade as the other two. The accessory that held her ponytail in place had the same ornament sitting in the center of crimped, pale yellow fabric, like a flower. A small, pleated triangle of darker yellow fabric descended from it.

* * *

She stood there, the sunlight providing a natural spotlight and making her golden outfit shimmer slightly. Cure Vaccine seemed to take her transformation in stride, her hands on her hips as she glared at the Byouki before.

"A-Another one?!" gasped Poison, recoiling slightly. "This quickly?!"

The new Pretty Cure held her hand out with the first two fingers out, briefly placing them to her lips, her eyes closed. ****"The revitalizing taste of lemon balm..."**** She opened her eyes and flung her arm out, posing with one arm downward in front of herself, the other hand resting on her hip. ****"Cure Vaccine!"****

Not done yet, Vaccine pointed at the Byouki, still glowering. "And I am _extremely_ angry at you!"

Remedy stared down at Vaccine with wide, sparkling eyes. "Fuuka..." she murmured.

"So...let my _best friend_ ** _ **go!"**_** Vaccine roared, surging forward.

Her fist quickly connected with the Byouki's leg, knocking it off-balance. As it teetered over, flailing its arms, Vaccine leaped into the air and punched the fist holding Remedy. The next moment, the monster let go of its hostage and Vaccine drew her into her arms, landing safely among the flowers.

"Vaccine!" Remedy cried, admiration in her voice.

"BYOOUUU!" the Byouki cried, landing heavily. The earth shook from the force of it, flower petals shaking loose and flying into the air all around the girls.

Vaccine paid neither any mind, glancing at her friend. "Are you okay?!" she cried.

"I'm fine!" Remedy said.

"You should have told me it was like this!" Vaccine said, eyes teary with concern.

"I – I didn't want to worry you!"

"I'm your best friend and you were acting so strangely all of a sudden – how could I not worry?!" Vaccine sniffled, tears threatening to fall. "And then I see you fight scary monsters like this..."

Remedy's own eyes began to tear up as well, lips quivering. "I'm _sorryyyy!_ " she suddenly cried, hugging Vaccine tightly around the shoulders.

" _I forgive you, Remedyyyy!"_ Vaccine sobbed, hugging her back.

The Byouki, seemingly-forgotten, finally managed to get back to its feet and, with an angry roar, charged forward again.

Vaccine tensed, slowly turning around as she released her hold on Remedy. "Don't..."

POW! Her fist connected with the Byouki once again, this time in an uppercut that sent it sky-high.

 _"...interfere with our moment!"_ she screamed.

Vaccine touched the pulse points of her left wrist; sunlight-golden light that moved like water splashed up and encircled it. She held her right hand, fingers slightly spread and pointed towards the light, above her wrist, slowly lifting them up to make the light rise into the air. Then she flicked her wrist downward to make the light fall towards her feet. The light didn't vanish, instead rapidly circling around her like a ring of water, getting bigger by the second. **"** ** **Pretty Cure..."**** She raised both arms into the air, the light spiraling around her to gather at her hands in a ball. Suddenly she flung her arms forward, aiming at the Byouki. ****"Citrus**** ** **Splash!"****

The ball of light shot towards the Byouki, spiraling around it over and over until it formed a large bubble. The bubble rippled once, briefly shrinking - and suddenly exploded, covering the area in what appeared to be liquid sunshine. All that remained of the Byouki was glob of black gunk that looked like a cockroach, flailing desperately in the half-second before it too exploded.

"I can't look for the Healing Flower with you two in the area!" Poison cried, teleporting away.

Amidst fluttering flower petals, Vaccine looked at Remedy, clasping her hands between her own. "Remedy, I'm so glad I could help you! I was so worried about you, you know?" she said, voice tight. "I thought...I thought what if someone was being mean to you! I didn't realize you fought monsters!"

"Remedy could handle it, pedi!" Penny said, flying down to sit on Remedy's head. "Remedy is a legendary warrior, a Pretty Cure! Just like you now, pedi!"

"Pretty Cure...?" Vaccine repeated. "So...so you-"

"So you don't need to worry about me anymore!" Remedy said with a smile, freeing one hand and lightly tapping Vaccine's nose. "Because I'll have you to help me from now on!"

Vaccine blinked, slightly cross-eyed from looking at Remedy's finger, then slowly smiled, nodding once. "Y-Yes! Because...

"Because we're friends and friends always look out for each other!"

* * *

In the distance, hiding behind a tree, Isano lowered her camera. "Hmm..." she mumbled, pressing a button to check the photos. On the digital screen, the two girls, one pink and one yellow, were shown in the heat of a battle and in the aftermath. "First my cold goes away like magic...now _this_ happens...

"...there's something strange going on, and I'm going to find out what!"

* * *

ED: "PreCure, Healing Hearts!" - Hitomi Yoshida

* * *

ON THE NEXT EPISODE:

Fuuka: "E-Ehhh, our pictures are in the school paper!"

Penny: "You're celebrities, pedi!"

Airi: "No, Penny, this is bad!"

Fuuka: "Oh no...they're calling for the 'mysterious heroes' to come forward and identify themselves! Next time on Cure Cure! PreCure: 'Our Identities Are In Danger! Pretty Cure Is A Secret!' Be well, everyone!"


	4. Chapter 4

That evening, late at night, the only light in the room was the glow of a computer screen. Isano sat in front of her desktop computer, the light reflecting off her glasses as she put the finishing touches on her article, adjusting the positions of the photos juuust so. Finally, she leaned back in her chair, nodding in satisfaction, and hit a button on her keyboard.

"Print."

* * *

OP: "Healing Charm" – STAR ANIS

* * *

Airi stretched her arms over her head as she and Fuuka walked to school together the next morning. "Ahhh, morning air feels so good~!" she said.

"It does, pedi!" Penny added from atop Airi's head, ruffling her feathers a little bit.

Fuuka chuckled behind one hand. "You look pleased," she said to Penny. "Happy to not be inside a school bag in the mornings, now?"

"I don't have to hide on your way to school, pedi! Since you're a Pretty Cure too, I can show myself to you now, pedi." Penny smiled, speaking as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Fuuka smiled back, then frowned as she considered something. "I do wish Airi had told me sooner..."

"I said she could, pedi!"

"Yeah but! But in all the manga and tv shows, heroes have to keep their identities a secret! If they tell everyone and anyone, the bad guys might get to their friends. Or their friends could run into danger, or they'd be hassled by reporters, and they'll never have a moment's peace! At least if we keep it a secret, we can separate our superhero lives from our civilian lives!" Airi said.

"Airi, I wouldn't call Pretty Cure a 'superhero,' pedi..."

"Regardless, these things have to be-!" Whatever she was about to say died in her throat as she turned into the school gates, and the noise volume multiplied by ten. The once-quiet road was suddenly a teeming mass of students, milling about and talking loudly, running to friends while shouting something...This shouldn't have been too unusual, but it was _extremely_ loud today!

 _"Whaaaat?"_ Fuuka said, one hand over an ear. _"I can't hear you!"_

 _"I didn't finish my sentence!"_ Airi yelled back, taking Penny from her head and placing her in her bag.

 _"Seven what?"_

 _"I said 'sentence!'"_

"Girls, girls, you gotta see this!" Kiko's voice naturally rose above the din as she raced forward, waving some paper in her hands. Without waiting for a greeting, she thrust them into her friends' faces.

Airi and Fuuka gaped at the sight of their Cure selves, printed on paper for all to see.

"Hanaoka has real, live, _superheroes_!" screeched Kiko, lowering the paper. "And _everyone's_ talking about who they might be!"

* * *

TODAY'S EPISODE: Our Identities Are In Danger! Pretty Cure Is A Secret!

* * *

In the classroom, before class could officially begin, everyone was getting as much gossip out of the way as they could.

"Okay, so I heard from Megumi that they're part of some super-big team, and these girls are just the ones to protect Hanaoka!"

"Well, Itsuki told _me_ that Shichan told _her_ that these two are the only ones of their kind."

"Whoa, you think they might not be human?! Maybe they're like, elves or fairies or something!"

"But why would fairies want to protect humans? Aren't fairies jerks?"

From where Airi and Fuuka were sitting with Kiko, Penny let out an indignant, and rather hurt-sounding, yelp.

Luckily it seemed to go unnoticed, lost in the crowd as Kiko read parts of the article to her friends.

"'This reporter witnessed the two girls, photographed below, attacking an unearthly monster. While this reporter was too far away to make out any of what was said, the heroes conversed together, then fled the scene. They weren't seen again for the rest of the day.' You guys, isn't this _amazing?"_ Kiko lowered the paper with a huge smile on her face.

Airi and Fuuka just stared, numb with shock.

"Eh? Whoa, you guys don't seem enthusiastic...C'mon, isn't this huge news?!" Kiko exclaimed. "Actual heroes! In our town! Fighting monsters! It's like all our tv shows from when we were little! Doesn't that excite you?!"

Airi and Fuuka said nothing, just stared ahead blankly.

Kiko frowned, lowering the paper as she walked around their desks so she was behind them. Then she suddenly lunged out, hooking one arm around each of their shoulders, shaking them. _"Come – on – you – two – sa-ay – so-ome-thing~!"_ she yelled.

"Kobayashi, stop manhandling your classmates, it's time to begin today's lesson!" said Azumi, entering the room. "Alright, alright, everyone put down those things you're holding and get out your pencils."

Amidst the rustle of paper and pencils being taken out, Fuuka whispered to Airi. _"What'll we do?!"_

All Airi could do was hiss back in worry _"I don't know..."_

* * *

Toxic lay curled up on his side, the blankets pulled over his head to completely hide his body. As Poison rubbed the lump that was his shoulder, he slowly ceased his coughing fit and tiredly peered out from under the blanket. "Ugghhh...my throat feels – kff – terrible," he moaned.

"You don't sound too different from how you've always sounded," Inge said.

"I've _always_ felt terrible – kff!"

"Fever, get up and see if we have any cough syrup left," said Poison, not moving from where she sat.

"I don't need to – we used the last of it four hours ago."

"What? So get some more."

"Poison, can you get it?" Toxic moaned again.

"What, _me?_ But I went to Earth already, I don't wanna go back so quickly!"

"But you're the only one who knows the kind I can actually swallow...You're the only one who knows where to find it," Toxic mumbled.

Poison sighed deeply and rose from her spot on the floor, rolling her shoulders a bit. "Fiiiine, if I must. But after this, everyone owes me a break, okay?"

* * *

During lunchtime, the girls were making their way to their usual spot on the fountain's edge, lunch in hand. And, as Kiko noticed, everyone had the correct number of lunches this time.

(Inside Airi's bag, Penny munched a sandwich Airi had bought ahead of time.)

"Okay~! So, let me see what dessert is packed to-day~!" Kiko cheered as she sat down, rubbing her hands together in anticipation. Kiko always bought the main course at school, but dessert was always from home. It had been that way since she'd first transferred in, and sometimes if it was something she didn't like, she would trade for Airi or Fuuka's dessert. And today, apparently it was- "Awww, peach cake? I hate peaches!" Kiko sighed dramatically and held out the little container. "Okay, who wants a peach cake?"

Silence.

"Hah?" Kiko blinked, lowering her cake. "Fuuka? Airi?"

Her friends just stared at their lunches, brows furrowed as they ate in silence. Kiko could see both of their desserts – a cherry cupcake and a strawberry crepe, both things she liked. And both of them liked peaches, shouldn't both of them be clamoring for a trade right now? "Hey! Girls!"

"Huh?" Airi blinked, snapping back to the present. "O-Oh, Kiko, I'm sorry, I'm a little distracted."

"Mm, me too..."

"That's not like _either_ of you," said Kiko with a frown. "What's up?"

"W-Well-" began Airi.

"Hey, you!"

"Kyaaaah!" Airi flailed as she suddenly fell backwards in shock. For a few seconds she teetered on the edge of the fountain, dangerously close to falling back into the water, but Fuuka and Kiko grabbed a wrist each and hauled her forward.

As Airi let out a gasp of relief, Fuuka looked at the newcomer; Isano stood there with her phone out, the video recording light on. "E-Eh, Ito, why are you recording us?"

"This is for the video news on the school website," Isano explained, her phone still trained on the girls. "I'm doing a follow-up on the story in the paper, asking everyone what their thoughts on these girls are. Oh, oh, hang on a second!" Isano hit the record button again to stop, then dug around her skirt pocket. A moment later she produced a white and pink hand-held mirror, and a small tube of shimmery red lipstick. "Every reporter has to look pretty and mature on camera," she muttered, quickly yet expertly applying the lipstick while looking in the mirror. "Okay!" The red light reappeared, and suddenly Isano shoved between Fuuka and Kiko, the phone at arm's length as if she were taking a selfie. "So who do _you_ think these mystery heroes are? Foreigners, or Japanese?"

"Uhm-"

"Word on the street is that these beautiful heroines moonlight as fashion models. What are your thoughts on that?"

"'Word on the street?' The article just came out this morning," said Kiko before either of her friends could speak.

"Well, okay, it's only Yamato who's said that, but 'word on the street' just sounds better – oh, Kobayashi, look what you made me say! Now I'll have to edit that out!"

"Eh...Ito," Fuuka began nervously, tapping her fingertips together. "Don't you think you're uhm...getting ahead of yourself? Surely you don't _need_ to find out who these people are-"

"Of course I do!" Isano cried, nearly dropping her phone. "I mean...aren't you girls curious too?"

Before Fuuka or Airi could answer, Kiko did. "Sure!" The girl grinned, clapping her hands over her knees. "You bet _I_ wanna know about them! I mean, if they're superheroes, I wanna know their origin stories, and what their powers are, and especially why monsters attacked our town, and if they're from Earth or not..."

"Oh, hang on, Kobayashi, let me turn the camera back on! Okay, go!"

"Wait, wait, we gotta get my friends in here too – eh?" Kiko blinked, staring at empty spaces where Fuuka and Airi had once been. "Girls?"

* * *

Around the corner of the main building, Fuuka and Airi leaned against the wall and gasped for breath, a sheen of nervous sweat on their foreheads.

"I...can't...do this anymore..." wheeze Fuuka.

"I-It's only been one day!" cried Airi.

"I know but-!" Fuuka straightened, adjusted her headband, and shot Airi a pleading look. "But everyone is already talking about us. And you know Ito – she uncovers anything and everything she sets her mind to! She found out who was stealing the sports equipment last year," (it had been a rival school team), "uncovered some tax fraud a teacher was committing," (minor tax fraud, but still), "she even found out that two teachers were having an affair!" Fuuka's face turned bright red, and her voice dropped a whisper at the last part. "Ito is on the newspaper club for a _reason_. She's too good!"

Airi bit her lower lip in anxiety, glancing over her shoulder towards the courtyard. She could see Kiko being interviewed by Isano.

Isano...looked friendly enough. She was smiling gently as she talked to Kiko, occasionally pushing her glasses up her nose and sometimes laughing at something Kiko said. Surely she'd listen to reason...right?

"Maybe...maybe we can convince her to stop digging this up?" Airi asked.

"If you ask nicely, surely she will, pedi!" Penny chirped from Airi's bag.

"You can't ask a reporter nicely..." Fuuka moaned. "They want stories and they'll get them...won't they?"

"Yeah, but Ito is our classmate! She's our _friend_! If we just...tell her why this could be troublesome, maybe she'll stop. It's at least worth a try!" Airi cried, pumping her fists in the air.

Fuuka blinked, expression neutral. Then she sighed, smiling faintly. "I'm not sure it'll work...but I trust Airi. We'll try to talk to her tomorrow."

 _"Heeeey! Hey, Miss Miyamoto! Who do_ _ **you**_ _think these mystery heroes are?!"_ came Isano's voice.

"Ito, don't bother the teachers when they're eating!"

"O-On second thought, after school today sounds better..." Airi gulped.

* * *

 _Eyecatch 1: Airi walks unsteadily between Kiko and Fuuka, balancing Penny atop her head. Suddenly she trips and pitches forward, causing Penny to fall. Fuuka and Kiko each grab one of her upper arms, and Airi holds her hands together to catch Penny. Everyone laughs as the Cure Cure! PreCure logo appears.  
Eyecatch 2: The three Cure Balms appear in mid-air, rotating around each other before flying in different directions. We then see each girl has caught her respective Cure Balm, and opens it up. In flashes of pink, blue, and yellow light, the girls transform into the Cure selves and smile dreamily as they inhale the scent of their balms. The Cure Cure! PreCure logo appears in the corner._

* * *

 _Ding dong, ding dong...ding dong ding dong..._

There was a clamor as the students packed their things and prepared to head for clubs or go home. Isano checked her phone before putting it in her pocket, a smile on her face. Fantastic! She'd gotten a lot of interviews in, gotten lots of opinions on these girls. Gathering the public's opinion was always the first step to uncovering the truth, was her motto!

A piece of paper fluttered out of her desk, catching her eye. Frowning, she knelt down and unfolded it – and then her brows lifted when she read the pink gel-pen writing on it.

 _"Ito, please meet up with us in the fields behind the storage shed._

 _-Fuuka, Airi_ "

"Perhaps they want an interview now?" Isano muttered.

* * *

Fuuka and Airi stood at the edge of a flower field that stood behind the storage shed. Penny was hiding in Airi's bag as usual.

"Do you think it'll work?" Fuuka whispered.

"I hope so..."

"Hey, girls!"

Airi smiled as she lifted her gaze, spotting Isano approaching. "Ah, hello, Ito – wh-wh-why is Kiko with you?!" she squeaked.

Sure enough, Kiko was walking right next to Isano, a broad grin on her face. That grin melted to an expression of confusion as she glanced back and forth between the two parties. "Ito invited me over, because she thought I might help you with the interview, since we're best friends and all."

"Interview?" Fuuka echoed, blinking.

"W-We didn't contact you for an interview!" Airi protested.

"You didn't? Well what'd I bring my phone for?" Isano muttered. "Oh, never mind, this could still be helpful. Okay!" She pulled her phone out and trained it on the two girls, hitting the 'camera record' button. "Okay, go!"

"I-Ito, we weren't..." Fuuka began nervously, sweat beading at her temples.

"Ito! W-We really think you shouldn't pursue this story!"

"Why not?" Isano asked in a deadpan voice. "Don't the public deserve to know who their saviors are?"

"Well, when you put it like that – wh – what, no, it's not like that, it's-!" Airi began. But she found herself quickly losing her nerve, especially with the phone and its glowing light trained on her.

Kiko and Isano frowned.

"Yo, Airi, you okay? You're being weird again."

"I – I uhm!"

* * *

As fate would have it, Poison was walking down the road in the background, a paper bag in her arms. "Black licorice cough syrup with marshmallow aftertaste..." she muttered to herself. "That sounds so disgusting. I'm surprised Toxic can swallow this without vomiting...Eh?" she turned her head as a familiar voice floated across the field and into her ears.

Those two girls...the pink and the yellow one – she knew them!

Poison smirked, revealing sharp incisors. "Perfect timing...I can get some work done, too."

* * *

"Don't you think...don't you think they might not want you to find out who they are?" Fuuka tried.

Isano sighed, rolling her shoulders. "If they tell me themselves, I'll take that into consideration. Is there anything _else_ you would like to say?"

"I have something to say~!"

The four girls gasped in shock – Airi and Fuuka in alarm – as they turned around and saw Poison leaping towards them in one long jump. She landed five feet away, among the flowers, and held her hand out at arm's length. "And that is...Give me your livelihood!"

Before everyone's eyes, a black sphere materialized above Poison's hand, and shot towards Isano at lightning-speed. The girl suddenly collapsed to the ground, coughing violently.

"Ito!" Kiko cried, dropping to her knees and wrapping her arms around her. "Ito, what's wrong?!" Was it her imagination, or did she hear 'not again!' among those hacking coughs? She almost let go in alarm and disgust when she saw what looked like a huge, slimy, wriggling black cockroach pushing out of Isano's back, finally escaping with a _pop._

Poison grinned, snapping her fingers again as the wriggling black shape appeared on her victim's spine. "Come out, Byouki!"

The gunk cockroach lifted into the air, flashing black-

-and what dropped was a sickly-yellow, splotched monster that resembled a giant digital camera. Despite the metallic, artificial appearance of it, it still managed to emit that same disgusting, garbage odor. "BYOOUUUU!"

"Wh-what is that?!" Kiko screeched.

"It's a Byouki, pedi!" Penny cried, flying out of Airi's bag.

" _Who are you?!"_ Kiko cried.

Fuuka and Airi exchanged glances, biting their lower lips. Then Airi let out a frustrated, desperate cry, and said _"Please don't tell anyone, Ito, Kiko!"_

 **"Pretty Cure, Healing Love~!"**

" ** **The calming scent of rosewood, Cure Remedy!"****

 **" **The revitalizing taste of lemon balm, Cure Vaccine!"****

Isano and Kiko stared, their eyes widening. Isano's grip on her phone trembled a bit, and not just from her coughing.

"We'll make you feel better soon, Ito!" Vaccine said, racing towards the Byouki.

"Just hold on for a few minutes!" Remedy added, running after her.

"BYOOUU – SMILE~!" The Byouki yelled, a brilliant flash lighting up the area.

Spots filled Remedy's vision. "I can't see!" she shrieked. Then she shrieked again as the Byouki jumped up and kicked her in the side, sending her flying back.

"My eyes!" Vaccine landed more gracefully as the Byouki hadn't focused on her. Her feet slid against the floor a few inches, Vaccine rubbing her eyes until she coasted to a stop. But she had barely lowered her hands from her eyes when the Byouki swatted her even further away, sending her off the ground. "Kyaah!"

"Vaccine!" Remedy, blinking away the last of the spots, had risen to her feet already. She let out an angry yell and charged towards the Byouki-

"SMILE, BYOU!"

"Gyah - Not agaaaiiin!" Remedy's outcry was elongated when the Byouki struck her again, sending her to the ground. "Stop _doing_ that!" she yelled, staggering to her feet and trying to blink the spots away.

"SMILE SMILE SMILE~!" the Byouki cackled, creating a trio of bright flashes in rapid succession.

Vaccine stumbled dizzily about, falling to her knees with her hands over her eyes. "Owww...I'll be very surprised if this doesn't give me a migraine later..." she moaned.

Meanwhile, as the girls kept repeating their attempts and the Byouki deferred all of them, Poison knelt in a nearby garden, casually ripping flowers from their roots and tossing them over her shoulder. "Nope. No. Not this one. Nuh-uh..." She looked idly over her shoulder at the battle, smiling slightly. "Byouki, just hurry up and dispose of them! Huh – never thought I'd use 'hurry' this often in my vocabulary," she mused, returning to her task.

"Gyaaah, Vaccine look oouuut!" Remedy cried as another blow sent her flying into her teammate. The pink Cure smacked into Vaccine's midsection, knocking the wind out of her as both of them fell to the ground in a tangled heap.

Isano was wracked with another series of loud coughs, shaking in Kiko's arms as her throat went raw. As she shook, something shiny tumbled out of her pocket.

Kiko's eyes widened. "This is—!" she gasped. She removed one arm from around Isano's shoulders to grab it.

Vaccine finally was able to blink away the rest of the spots from her vision as she and Remedy disentangled themselves. And not a moment too soon, as the Byouki was rushing towards them again-

-but something bright and shiny flew past it, faster than it was. _"Remedy! Vaccine!"_

Vaccine blinked, but in surprise as she snapped her arm up and grabbed the shiny thing. She brought it to her face, blinking again as her own face stared back at her. "This is-"

"Ito's hand mirror!" Remedy finished. She and Vaccine looked at each other and nodded once, the same idea lighting up in their heads.

"SMI~ ILE~!" the Byouki crowed again, facing the girls and preparing to release another flash-

-but the split-second before it could do that, Remedy looked down and covered her eyes; Vaccine shut her eyes tightly and tilted the mirror towards the Byouki. The sun caught the reflective surface first, shining a light in the Byouki's eyes, and then the flash went off a half-second later, catching the same surface. "BYOOUUUU!" the monster cried in pain, black spots taking up its vision.

"Alright, Vaccine!" Remedy cheered.

"You won't have time to do that again! Pretty Cure Citrus Splash!"

Poison looked up just in time to see her Byouki wither to the familiar black cockroach, then explode. What could be seen of her face blanched. "Well I can't stick around now," she muttered, glancing at the bag in her arms. "But I least I got the cough syrup!" And without another word, she was gone.

* * *

Vaccine and Remedy stood in front of Kiko and Isano, fidgeting nervously. Then they both bowed sharply, hands clasped in front of themselves. "Please don't tell anyone!" they cried in unison.

Isano blinked.

"We didn't tell anyone because we didn't want anyone hurt, or involved in this!" Remedy explained.

"And if our classmates all find out about this, we'll be in big trouble! We'll never get anything done, and we might be targeted by other people – besides those strange ones!" said Vaccine.

"We're okay if people see us in Pretty Cure form, but to know who we are as civilians-!"

 _Beep._

The girls looked up at Isano.

The blonde girl held her phone in front of her face, staring at it with an unreadable expression as she tapped another few buttons. Another shrill beep sounded, then Isano smiled faintly, lowering the phone. "Oh, look at that," she said, turning the phone to face the girls. "It looks like my video and photo got deleted! How do you like that? I guess I have nothing to show anyone...oh well~"

Kiko laughed, wrapping an arm around Isano's shoulders in a side-hug.

Remedy and Vaccine stared for a second longer, then suddenly smiled wide, their eyes shining. "Thank you, Ito~!"

* * *

"A follow-up report already?!"

"Wow, the newspaper club doesn't fool around!"

"What's this one say?"

In their seats, Pretty Cure and Kiko read over the article, Kiko reading aloud with her fingertip underneath the words. "In an interesting turn of events, this reporter was able to spot the heroes once again. However, after they fought the monster that was also on the scene, the heroes themselves disappeared in bursts of light. It is this reporter's theory that perhaps they do not have secret identities, but perhaps are fairies or aliens.' Wellllll, it's better than people trying to figure out who you are, right?" Kiko laughed awkwardly.

"Sorry."

The girls turned around to see Isano standing right behind them, wincing and poking her tongue out. "It was all I could think of..."

"Well, I suppose 'aliens' is an interesting idea..." said Fuuka.

"But they're not fairies, pedi," Penny whispered from Airi's bag.

"Penny, shhhh!"

"Well, anyway. This way, people shouldn't be gossiping about who you might be. If I wrote it, the people will believe it – you're now aliens!" Isano grinned and placed her hand on her chest, puffing up in pride.

"H-hey, don't just _say_ that!"

"But!" Isano suddenly held up an index finger and shoved it in Airi's face, a stern expression on her own face. "Don't think I'm done with you girls. The public has a right to know what may or may not be happening in town, _and_ with my information-digging know-how, I might be able to be an asset to you, too!"

All three girls just stared.

"U-Uhm-" began Fuuka.

"Alright, everyone, quiet now! It's time for class!" Azumi said, entering the room.

Isano just grinned, waving over her shoulder as she skipped to her seat. "Keep in touch, girls~"

The trio just stared as she left, silent for a few moments.

"...Did we just get an informant?" asked Fuuka.

"Or a secret-keeper?" mumbled Airi.

"O-Or both? Weeeh..." they both sighed.

* * *

ED: "PreCure, Healing Hearts!" - Hitomi Yoshida

* * *

ON THE NEXT EPISODE:

Airi: "The weekend is here! A perfect time for a nature hike!"

Fuuka: "I've got all the snacks and drinks, and sunblock!"

Kiko: "Awesome! It's great to know that even with my best friends being heroes, we can still spend time together!"

Airi: "Of course! The three of us-"

Fuuka: "Will always be together!"

Kiko: "In everything we do! Next time on Cure Cure! PreCure: ' ** **Three Makes Us Complete! Cure Antidote Revealed!**** ' Be well, everyone!"


	5. Chapter 5

"Alright!" Airi smiled as she watched tub water slowly turn a soft, rosy pink. The scent of sugar and roses filled the bathroom, courtesy of her home-made bath bomb. After another few moments, she turned off the water, turned around and picked up Penny.

"Rub-a-dub-dub, get in-to the tub!" she cheered, gently tossing the fairy in.

Penny landed in the water with a tiny splash, then surfaced and ruffled her feather. "This feels really nice, Airi, pedi!" she said.

"Doesn't it? Okay, now hold still, I'm going to soap you now. We wanna get you smelling nice." Airi knelt by the tub and began to gently run a bar soap over the fairy.

Penny trilled happily, rolling a little in Airi's grip as little bubbles appeared on her feathers. "This feels nice, pedi. But what's the occasion?"

"I want to get you nice for tomorrow." Airi leaned back a little and beamed. "It's the bi-weekly hike with my friends~!"

* * *

OP: "Healing Charm" – STAR ANIS

* * *

Kiko smiled as she shrugged on her blue backpack and double-checked her pockets for change. After ensuring her bus fare was still there, she gave herself one more once-over in the mirror. The great thing about weekends was she was able to wear something besides her uniform! And the outfit she favored above all others was her blue, short-sleeved tunic with a white Peter Pan collar. White stripes circled the ends of her sleeves and hem, and two rows of decorative buttons went down her chest. Beneath that she wore dark blue capris, and blue-gray slip-on shoes with no socks. The shoes had a stripe of light blue on the tongue, and white heart-shaped buttons on the sides. Kiko placed blue beret on her head and, satisfied, headed downstairs to the kitchen.

"Kiko, aren't you supposed to meet your friends for the hike?" asked her father, a tall, thick man with dark green eyes and a receding hairline.

"Well _yeah,_ " Kiko said, opening the fridge. "But we're getting a later start this weekend than usual, so I'm leaving _now._ " Her smile became a frown as she began shoving cartons out of the way. "What the-"

"If you're looking for the pineapple juice, don't bother," came a new voice. Daiki, Kiko's older brother, came into the kitchen and collapsed into a chair, brushing his blue-black bangs out of his eyes. "I drank the last of it earlier this morning."

 _"What?_ Daiki, you know I like pineapple juice!"

"Then maybe next time you'll get up early enough to stop me," the high-schooler said, carelessly opening a can of soda.

"Oooorgh, _jerk!_ " Kiko snapped, slamming the refrigerator door.

"Kiko, we still have apple juice-" her father, Kotaro, began.

"I didn't want apple, I wanted _pine_ apple, and now I'm gonna be late meeting my friends so I _can't_ drink any juice! You owe me big time, Daiki!" Kiko yelled over her shoulder as she ran for the door.

Kotaro winced as the front door slammed, then sighed, leaning on his elbows. "I told you not to drink that, Daiki...ugh, you guys make these circles under my eyes get darker by the day."

"Sorry, pops."

* * *

TODAY'S EPISODE: Three Makes Us Complete! Cure Antidote Revealed!

* * *

Kiko smiled as she reached the bus stop, seeing her friends already there. "Hey, guys! Were you waiting long?" she asked, adjusting her beret.

Airi shook her head. "No, we just got here." Airi wore a pale pink and purple, frilly shirt with a heart-shaped collar; the pink part was the shirt itself, and the frilled sleeves were purple. There was another, purple, layer beneath the pink fabric, going a little farther than the pink, making it look a little like a dress. She wore pale purple capris with scalloped edges, a pink ribbon hemming them. Her ankle-socks were clean and white, and she wore white and pink sneakers.

"Well, she just got here...I was only waiting about a minute," Fuuka admitted, scratching her cheek. Her outfit was in yellows and oranges, mostly. A scalloped, light yellow bolero jacket was layered over a cream-colored dress with yellow heart-shaped pockets. The dress ended in two layers of ruffles; the top yellow and the bottom orange. Cream stockings covered her legs, and she wore light brown boots that reached mid-calf, closed with brown laces.

Both girls wore backpacks; Airi's pink and Fuuka's yellow.

"So not long, then," Kiko said, one corner of her mouth quirking up.

Airi's backpack moved a bit, and the flap lifted up as Penny poked her head out, wings flapping. "I'm here, too, pedi! I smell like roses!"

"You sure do!" laughed Kiko, reaching over to pat the little owl. Her expression became more serious however, as she looked back at her friends. "You two are going to have to explain her to me, you know."

"We promise, we will," said Fuuka. She looked over Kiko's shoulder and pointed. "But the bus is here, so it'll have to wait."

"I've never ridden a bus before!" whispered Penny, ducking back into Airi's bag. "This is so exciting, pedi!"

* * *

The room was almost pitch-black, the only light coming from an oil lantern on the nightstand. Near the lamp was a teapot and a half-empty mug of cold tea. In the center of the huge bed, covers folded up to their chest, a tall and spindly figure lay, his every breath rattling.

The king of the land, who called himself "Blight," was very ill indeed.

Poison stood at the bedside, setting down a small saucer with some crushed leaves on it. "More medicine, from our supply," she said tonelessly. "How are you feeling?"

"No better than the day before," rasped Blight. Suddenly he sat upright, covers flying about them as they coughed and hacked loudly into his hands. Poison winced, but made no effort to stop him or ease them back onto the bed. After several loud hacks and gasps that shook the very walls, the king collapsed back onto the mattress, breathing heavily.

Poison replaced his covers and wiped his hands with a cloth. It came away black with red and green mixed in.

"How has your search gone?" Blight asked.

"I regret to say we are no closer...But don't worry, we'll get the Healing Flower!"

"That wretched woman..." Blight managed to snarl despite his obvious discomfort and difficulty. "She should have handed it over to us when she had the chance. Now the flower is lost, my health continues to deteriorate, and now even _she_ suffers. Poison, that flower _must_ be found for me, do you understand-" The rest of his words died just then, replaced by another series of hacking coughs.

"I understand, My Lord," Poison muttered.

In the recreation area, Toxic just lay there, listening between his own coughs. It was phenomenally unfair, how their king suffered when there was a solution hiding somewhere on Earth, no doubt in plain sight. And it was also unfair how he himself just sat there, watching television and relaxing, while his friends tried to cure both him and Blight.

That in mind, Toxic shakily rose to his feet, adjusting the blanket around himself. "I should see if there – _kff!_ \- is something _I_ can do as well..."

* * *

"Okay, Penny, come out now!"

Penny poked her head out of the bag, blinking in the sudden sunlight. Then her eyes widened, beak opening slightly as a faint _"waaah~"_ escaped her.

It was as if she were back home. There was a lush expanse of green as far as the eye could see, with clean, well-used dirt paths winding though. The trees were so numerous that they gave a secure feeling, but there weren't so many that one would feel trapped or suffocated; dappled sunlight illuminated the landscape and made interesting patterns on the girls. Every now and then, a bit of pink or red, blue or yellow would disrupt the green – Penny realized that these were from patches of flowers. The air smelled warm, refreshing and sweet at once.

For a moment, she forgot she had even come to Earth in the first place.

Then Airi spoke - "Isn't it pretty, Penny?" - and the illusion vanished.

"It's wonderful, pedi," Penny said, voice calmer than usual.

Kiko blinked, then smiled softly and approached Airi's bag. She leaned down a bit to smile at the fairy. "Do you want to fly around here?"

 _"C-Can_ I, pedi?!"

"Sure! No one's here!"

"Kiko, I'm not wholly sure this is a good-!"

"Re - _lax_ , Fuuka! She'll be fine!" Before anyone could protest, Kiko dipped her hands into Airi's backpack and set them beneath Penny. "Hup!" She tossed the bird fairy into the air, grinning broadly as Penny let out a loud cheer and began flying along one of the paths. "See, look, she even picked out our route for us! Hey, pretty bird, wait for me! You need a map!" And with that, she ran after Penny.

Fuuka and Airi exchanged glances, then sighed lightly.

* * *

"Okay...so this path is Wild Rose, and this one is Sunflower," Kiko read, gliding her fingertip under the words on the map. Penny had stopped flying a short while ago, coming back to the rest of the group and admitting she had no idea where anything was here. So now the three girls and fairy were studying the map. "Let's see – we're on Dahlia Path, and just up ahead is a turn onto Lilac."

"Will tapping the words bring us there, pedi?"

"Hah?" Kiko blinked.

"You put your finger under everything, pedi." The owl seemed to tilt her head – rather her whole body – as she spoke again. "Is that magic?"

Kiko stared for a second in confusion, then suddenly started laughing. "No, no!" she chuckled. "No, that's just how I read. See, if I'm not following along with my fingertip, I lose my place and have to start all over again. Airi and Fuuka don't need to do it, but I do. 's'just something that makes me unique!" she added, rolling her shoulders.

Penny's eyes went wide. "So not all humans do that, pedi? Humans are amazing..."

"You didn't know that?" Airi asked.

Penny's body shifted downward a bit, her eyes drooping. "Mm, no, pedi...I'm a young fairy, and I've never seen a human besides the queen before leaving, pedi. This is my first time even leaving the _castle,_ pedi." As she spoke, her voice started to sound a little tight, forlorn. "This world is new to me, pedi."

Kiko stared up at Penny, then looked down from her to Airi. She and Airi shared one brief look, and Airi nodded lightly. Kiko smiled, nodded back, and leaned over to pick up Penny. "Hey, Penny, c'mon this way with me!"

"Pedi?"

"What're your favorite flavors?"

"Oh, I love all of them, pedi!"

"Then I'm taking you to the picnic zone!" And with that, Kiko and Penny were gone.

Fuuka stared after them curiously, then her eyes lit up in comprehension. "Ohhh...I see what you're doing, Airi!" she whispered with a smile.

"If Penny's in a strange place, who better to talk to her about it than Kiko, right?" Airi smiled and tilted her head. "We'll catch up with them later."

"Excuse me?" called a new voice. A young woman with two children in tow approached, map in hands and a sheepish look on her face. "I think we've lost our campsite and I can't read this very well..."

"Oh, we'll help you!" Airi said with a smile. Approaching the woman, she began to make small-talk. "Are you just visiting the town?"

"Yeah. We're here on vacation and I-" Suddenly her eyes went wide, and she pitched forward, one hand cupping her mouth as she coughed.

"Ma'am?!"

"Mommy?" the children asked, tugging her sleeves.

"I – I'm f-fine, I think - _kff!_ \- I just inhaled something!"

"A-Ah, you should be careful in the outdoors, there's lots of loose dirt and seeds and leaves floating around! Let me get you some water!" Fuuka cried. Fuuka was so busy digging through her backpack, and Airi was trying to console both the lady and her kids, so neither of them noticed a figure standing behind a tree, something dark and writhing in his hands.

* * *

 _Eyecatch 1: Airi walks unsteadily between Kiko and Fuuka, balancing Penny atop her head. Suddenly she trips and pitches forward, causing Penny to fall. Fuuka and Kiko each grab one of her upper arms, and Airi holds her hands together to catch Penny. Everyone laughs as the Cure Cure! PreCure logo appears.  
Eyecatch 2: The three Cure Balms appear in mid-air, rotating around each other before flying in different directions. We then see each girl has caught her respective Cure Balm, and opens it up. In flashes of pink, blue, and yellow light, the girls transform into the Cure selves and smile dreamily as they inhale the scent of their balms. The Cure Cure! PreCure logo appears in the corner._

* * *

 _"Waaaaaaah~!"_ Penny cried, eyes widening in pure delight.

The picnic area was a huge, open field of flowers occasionally broken up by large patches of cut grass. The grass was clearly meant for visitors to stop and set up their food, but Penny didn't care about that. She was more focused on the sea of tall flowers, gently swaying in the breeze like a meadow. Their combined scents filled the air, yet was still subtle, and Penny could see the occasional butterfly or ladybug hovering around.

Once again, for an instant she thought she was home.

"Pretty, huh?" Kiko's voice came in, shattering the illusion. Before Penny could focus too much on that disappointment, Kiko was carrying her through the flowers. Despite the lack of pathways, none of the flowers were trampled, instead gently moving with Kiko and out from underfoot. "...do you want to talk about it?"

"Pedi?"

Kiko reached a grassy spot and sat down, Penny on her lap. "You said this was your first time away from your home. And you seemed really happy when you saw this place. So I figured..." She smiled gently. "You want to talk about it? How you miss home?"

Penny blinked up at Kiko, then swiftly looked away. "I'm fine, pedi," she said. "I have an important job to do, the queen said so. I can't be sad when people need me, pedi..."

There was a brief pause.

"You know...I'm new here, too, Penny."

"You are?" Penny asked.

"Uh huh," Kiko said with a nod, her eyes getting a far-away look in them. "Last year, I moved here from another town, after my mom and dad separated. I'd never left my hometown before that day, so everything was new and strange. And on top of that, I had to be without one of my family...It wasn't _too_ different, though, I guess – I mean, how different can one town be, right? But it was still a new place, and I didn't know where anything was, had no friends, it was a new school...I thought, 'this totally sucks.' I just wanted to go back home. But then..."

* * *

 _Kiko sighed in annoyance as she walked down the street. It wasn't a school day, and the boxes were still being unpacked, so their house was pretty crowded. As such, her dad had told both her brother and herself to amuse themselves today._

 _But how could she even think of that? Even if she found something she liked here, she still missed home. There was nothing here that could make the pain of moving any easier._

 _Her footsteps faltered as she saw two shadows in her path. Blinking, she looked up, and saw Airi and Fuuka standing in front of her. Fuuka smiled gently and inclined her head in greeting, Airi held up a hand to wave at her._

 _Kiko stared for a moment longer before her face broke out in a big smile. Her worries forgotten, she rushed over to join them._

* * *

"Then I made friends. I met Airi and Fuuka, and they made things less lonely. Eventually, I didn't mind being here so much...It was home, too."

"Don't you still feel sad, pedi?" Penny whispered.

Kiko smiled gently, looking down at the little owl in her arms. "Sometimes. Sometimes I miss my mom, and I miss the house I grew up in. I miss that little convenience store across the road, and how I could see the school from my window. Sometimes I think I see one of my old friends, or if I'm not thinking I'll start walking one direction thinking I'm going one place, when I'm actually remembering a place in my old home. But little by little, it got better. I grew more familiar with Hanaoka. I made friends. I found lots of things to like about my new home. And while sometimes I do still feel sad and miss my old neighborhood, that's okay because...well, I'm happy here, too. And if it weren't for moving, I'd never have met my two best friends.

"Hm...I'm kinda rambling, aren't I?" Kiko suddenly said with a frown.

"Uhmmmm..."

"I guess what I'm saying is...You'll always miss home too, until you can go back. But until then...you'll also find things you like about this place! You'll find things you like, people you like...and eventually, the pain will fade away until you don't even notice it. I'm sure it'll happen to ya!" Her expression grew more intense then. "But first...there's one thing you should do."

"What's that, pedi?"

Kiko stared at her quite hard, brows lowered. "Earlier, when I asked, you said 'I can't be sad when people need me.' But I want you to tell me how you really feel. 'kay?"

Penny just stared, eyes growing wider.

"Don't hold yourself back."

Penny's eyes slowly started to shimmer.

She blinked, and a little tear escaped down her cheek.

Another blink, a sniffle..."Uwaaah!" Penny suddenly wailed, throwing herself against Kiko's chest. The girl smiled and hugged her as the little owl cried, her whole body shaking from her sobs. "I – I miss home!" she sobbed, trembling. "I miss h-home so much a-and I'm scared – there were monsters chasing me and they hurt me a-and-" She stopped to take a quick, shuddering breath. "And I m-miss the Queen and she was s-s-so sick when I l-left and I don't know i-if she'll g-get any better and...I wish none of th-this had happened...I wanna go home, the Queen s-s-said to b-be brave but I w-wanna go home."

"I know...I know..." Kiko soothed, petting the owl's downy head. "Shhh, it'll be okay...Someday you'll be able to go home. Until then, we're here to take care of you, and we'll help you. Okay?"

"That's not true."

Penny and Kiko both straightened in shock, both by the new voice and the words it had said. The owl's eyes widened when she caught sight of the young man a few feet away, something writhing in his hands. "Toxic, pedi!" she cried.

"What did you mean 'that's not true?!'" Kiko cried, anger already boiling in her gut.

"The fairy can't go home...not without the Healing - _kff!_ \- Flower. And if she never finds it..."

"But I will! I have to!" Penny shouted in distress. "The Queen depends on-"

"The Queen will never recover. She'll never get better because the Healing Flower will be - _kff!_ \- belong to us. Never you." Toxic lightly tossed the black, writhing thing into the air and snapped his fingers. It pulsated, and suddenly grew into a monster tens of times its previous size. "Never again."

* * *

Fuuka gasped, stiffening slightly. She had been kneeling in front of the coughing woman while Airi was trying to calm her worried children, and now... Now she was ready to kick herself for not seeing the obvious. A woman suddenly coughing and looking sick, out of nowhere. The coughing spell not going away. And now a cold feeling in her gut that something was wrong.

"Airi!" she gasped.

"I know," Airi whispered back, clearly feeling the same way Fuuka did. "But I can't..." She looked back to the kids, who huddled close to their mother asking if she was alright, if she needed a doctor. "Fuuka! Can you-?"

"Of course! Uhm – listen, children, I need to get more water...my friend Airi will stay here, okay?" She smiled comfortingly at the kids, and then ran down the path, where she sensed the presence of a Byouki.

Her heart nearly stopped when she realized Kiko and Penny had gone the same way earlier. She ran faster, and a second later, Cure Vaccine was leaping into the scene.

* * *

Kiko stood firm, glaring at Toxic as Penny trembled slightly in her arms. She only gave the Byouki, which oddly enough resembled a backpacker if they were made of rotting pumpkin stalks and vines, a passing glance, even as it loomed over them threateningly. She had to deal with something worse first.

"You're the one saying things that aren't true! Penny will see her home again and my friends will make things right so she _can_ go home!"

"Chiyuu Gardens will never be the same after we take the Healing Flower," Toxic said plainly. "And the fairy cannot return empty-handed. If we have the flower first, she will never return home..."

Penny's already-white form turned even whiter.

"She'll never see the queen again, neither healthy nor sick..."

A faint sob escaped the fairy.

"And she'll be here forever, while we use the flower for our own purposes. You mustn't fill her head with lies just to make her feel better."

Penny squeezed her eyes shut, a tear trickling down her face as she began to cry faintly again. "H-Huuu..." she whimpered.

"Byooouu!" the Byouki roared, as if in agreement.

"It's alright though. I'll just put her out of her misery first. Byouki, get rid of them!" Toxic cried, pointing at Kiko and Penny.

"Byoouuu!" the monster charged forward, the flowers it passed rotting instantly.

"Kiko!" Vaccine yelled. She ran forward, and a split-second later, she kicked the Byouki aside, saving both of her friends. "Kiko, take Penny and get out of here!"

Kiko just stood there, head tilted downward, a shadow over her eyes.

"Kiko?!"

"Cure Vaccine...hold Penny for me." Kiko started forward.

"Kiko-"

" _Hold. Her."_ Kiko's voice was firm, and coldly furious as she transferred Penny to Vaccine's arms. "I'll handle this one."

"You're not a Cure!" Vaccine cried, running after her friend. In front of them, the Byouki was getting back up. "You can't-!"

 _"This guy deliberately hurt Penny's feelings!"_ Kiko shouted, finally lifting her head. Her eyes blazed in anger, tears glinting in the corners. _"Penny was lonely, scared, homesick...all she wants is to go home again, and this guy and his stupid monster said she couldn't. I promised her she would go home, I told her that I understood how she felt..."_

* * *

 _Kiko lay on her bed in her new bedroom, sobbing into a pillow. The movers had just left, but she already hated it here. She missed home. She wanted to go home._

* * *

" _And this jerk...He told her lies, he made her cry! I can't let him get away with that!"_

The bag around Penny's leg began to glow.

"I promised Penny she'd get back home – before that day comes, she'd have us to help, to help make things easier. But she _will_ go home, and Pretty Cure _will_ get that flower or whatever it is that needs finding..."

The Byouki, now back on its feet, began to charge again.

 ** _"I promised her!"_**

A blue light shot out of the small bag, much to Penny's shock. It zoomed over to Kiko, who flung her arm out to grab the blue Cure Balm without even glancing at it, as if she already knew what to do.

* * *

Kiko floated in a void of light purple and sky blue; bright blue bubbles of light and tiny sparkles danced around her as the cent of violets filled her senses. Holding the balm at arm's length, Kiko swiped the index finger on her other hand over the balm. ****"Pretty Cure!"**** Her clothes disappeared, replaced by light blue light that seemed to form a leotard over herself. ****"Healing Love~!"**** With a toothy grin, she swiped her fingertip across one wrist, then threw the balm into the air. She quickly rubbed her wrists together, bright blue light circling them like bracelets, brighter blue sparkles and Greek crosses floating through the light. The Balm fell into her open hand, and she lifted her legs up to dab more balm on her ankles, making the same light appear. She stomped hard on the non-existent floor, and the light burst away from her ankles and wrists to reveal boots and arm-warmers. She tilted her head to expose her neck, dabbing balm onto the pulse points. The light appeared once again, and just as quickly burst away to reveal a choker.

She then dabbed balm against the center of her chest, grinned cheekily, then flung her arms out, kicking one leg out like a cabaret dancer. At once the glowing leotard she'd been wearing before became a layered dress. Her Cure Balm glowed slightly, then zipped into a hidden pocket of her skirt, for safe-keeping. Kiko took one of her pigtails between her thumb and forefinger, eyeing it briefly before smirking and tossing it over her shoulder. Her hair began to glow bright blue, and suddenly the light flashed to reveal its color and style had changed. It was now bright blue, gathered into a huge bun at her crown, several ringlets descending from it, secured with a bow. Kiko opened her eyes, revealing they had changed from blue-green to a bright blue, and straightened her form, feet planted firm and one hand on her hip.

She now wore a dress very similar the ones her friends had worn. Her top was pale blue, with a white upside-down triangle going down her middle until its point touched her waist-area. The dark blue shoulder-straps became white frills, with a layer of light blue ones beneath. On her chest was a dark blue bow with stubby tails, a choker of the same color around her neck. The bow was secured with a dark violet Greek cross, a section of scalloped white lace coming from its top.

On her arms were snug white arm-warmers that reached her elbows, dark blue trim along their tops and bell-shaped fabric fanning over her fingers.

Around her waist was a dark blue ribbon that met the point of the white upside-down triangle, a small violet Greek cross in the center. Her skirt fanned out in several layers; the top blue layer splitting to reveal another layer of white skirt. Beneath those were a layer of slightly darker blue, and then a violet layer. On her legs were blue legwarmers with violet bows at the outer-ankles. On her feet were white boots with wedge heels, the toes and heels light blue. To complete the look, she wore tiny Greek crosses on her ears, the same shade as the other ones.

The new Pretty Cure slowly moved her hands to her cheeks, eyes closed in a blissful smile. ****"The soothing touch of blue violet..."**** She spun around, moving her arms down; one to rest its hand on her hip, the other angled in front of herself, fingers snapping. ****"Cure Antidote!"****

* * *

"The third Cure..." Penny whispered, eyes shining. "Antidote!"

"Antidote...? Kiko?" Vaccine murmured, a look of awe on her face.

Cure Antidote stood there, glowering at the Byouki in determination. Then abruptly, her angry expression became a smile, and she winked down at Penny. "Don't you worry, Pen!" she said. "I'll take care of this jerk!"

"Pen, pedi?" Penny barely had time to register the nickname before Antidote threw herself at the Byouki, a rush of wind billowing Vaccine's hair and ruffling Penny's feathers. "P-Pedi?!"

Petals and blades of grass flew into the air in Antidote's wake, the trees bending in the same direction Antidote was charging. She moved like a blur and violet blur, palms thrusting forward-

-and **slammed** into the Byouki, knocking it off its feet. The monster only had time to let out a startled "Byo-?!" before it hit the ground hard on its back.

"Wh-what th-?" Toxic gasped.

" _Nobody,_ but _**nobody,**_ bullies my friends!" Antidote yelled, running forward again. After a few feet she launched herself into the air, front-flipping at the apex of her jump and then sending herself back down. One leg extended so she slammed the bottom of her foot hard into the Byouki's abdomen. A rush of hot breath surged from its mouth as the wind was knocked out of it; Antidote didn't pay it any mind.

"Penny opened her heart up to me! And you think it's okay to say such hurtful things?! You think it's okay to be so cruel?" Antidote jumped into the air again, aiming her body a little to the left of the Byouki...and at her descent, when she was close enough, she swung her foot out to kick it in the side. It flew back another dozen or so feet, toppling over the trees when it hit them.

Vaccine just gaped, Penny now resting in her arms. "Antidote, you're amazing..." the yellow Cure breathed.

Penny's eyes just went even wider. _She became a Pretty Cure because of that, pedi?...for me?_

Antidote landed on the grass, facing the Byouki. "Time to end this!"

Antidote touched the pulse points of her left wrist before bringing both wrists together, rubbing slightly. Pale violet light encircled them before spiraling down her arms, down her body, and finally circling widely at her feet. Her hair and clothes ruffling in a strange wind, Antidote slowly parted her arms. " **Pretty Cure..."** She flung both arms skyward, the light and wind surging past her in gales, moving towards the Byouki. **"Violet Rush** **!"**

The wisps of light shot towards the Byouki, surrounding it to form a large bubble. The bubble appeared to move, spinning around like a globe - and suddenly exploded, wind rushing around like a typhoon. All that remained of the Byouki was glob of black gunk that looked like a cockroach, flailing desperately in the half-second before it too exploded.

Toxic took a few steps back, his eyes wide as could be. "Th-that's- I can still-!" Suddenly he was overcome by a nasty bout of coughing, his body doubled over as he hacked and wheezed into his mask.

Vaccine blinked, taking a step towards him. "Are you-?"

"Stay aw— _kf!kf!kff!_ aw- w-way-!" Toxic managed to cry out, voice strained. The air behind him shimmered, and then he was gone.

* * *

"Whaaat? You mean Kiko's a Pretty Cure too and _I missed it?"_ wailed Airi. A few minutes had passed since Toxic fled, and the girls had de-transformed and walked back down the path. Airi had run up to meet them partway, the mother and her kids waving goodbye behind her. And of course she was pretty upset to hear she'd missed out on such a momentous occasion.

"You should have seen me!" Kiko boasted, jabbing her thumb at her chest. "I was _awesome!_ I was like the wind! I kicked that monster's tail!"

"It didn't have a tail, Kiko..." Fuuka chuckled behind her hand.

"There's a baby fairy here! C'moooon..." Kiko snickered. "And anyway, Airi can see me next time! Right?"

"H-Hey uhm...Kiko, pedi?" Penny whispered from her position on the girl's head.

Kiko lifted her hands to grab Penny gently, bringing her down and holding her to her face. "Yeah?"

For a moment, Penny looked away, her face a light pink. Then her eyes shifted to look at Kiko, and she smiled a little. "Thank you, pedi...f-for everything..."

Kiko's smile was gentle as she hugged the fairy. "Any time, Pen. Any time..."

* * *

In a bright rec room, Toxic leaned against Poison weakly, curled into a ball as his coughing slowly died down. The woman smoothed his dampening hair away from his sweat-soaked brow, adjusted the blanket around his shoulders. "Toxic, you _know_ you're not supposed to leave without bringing me or Fever!" she said, her voice only slightly louder than her usual quiet tone. "You're ill, you know this."

"I wa – _kff!_ \- wanted to help..." Toxic rasped out before coughing weakly again.

"You could have died out there..." Poison murmured gently, rubbing his back. "It's alright if you want to help us, but promise you won't leave without finding one of us first."

"...I ha - _kff_ \- hate this..."

"I know..." Poison said, unaware that Fever and Inge were watching from the doorway, Fever's fingers tightly gripping the frame. "But once we have that flower, we'll heal you. We'll heal everyone..."

* * *

ED: "PreCure, Healing Hearts!" - Hitomi Yoshida

* * *

ON THE NEXT EPISODE:

Airi: "I didn't know Mrs Miyamoto had a daughter! I hope we can get along!"

Fuuka: "I'm sure Airi is great with kids; you'll be fine."

Kiko: "Say, where is Hana anyway?

Airi: "O-Oh no! Next time on Cure Cure! PreCure: ' **PreCure's Tiny Friend.** ' Be well, everyone!"


	6. Chapter 6

"I'm off for school now! Bye~!"

A moment later, Airi was walking down the road, a broad smile on her face. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, it wasn't too warm or too cold... She was honestly tempted to walk much slower than normal, just to enjoy this day a bit more. "Aaaah, it's so peaceful this early in the da-"

 _"You can't cancel!"_

Airi jumped in alarm, Penny squeaking in her schoolbag. The voice came from the house she was currently standing in front of. Before she could begin to wonder what was going on, the door slammed open...

And Azumi Miyamoto stormed out, gnashing her teeth as she read the riot act to someone over her cell phone. "No, no, you listen! I have been using your services for the past few weeks, you _know_ I don't use anyone else but you, and now not only are you canceling, but you do it _at the last minute?! While I'm on my way to school?!"_ She went silent as the person on the other end began speaking, then let out an irritated sound somewhere between a sigh and a roar. " _I don't care if you have a boyfriend now, going to the movies can wait – Hana can't!"_

Azumi blinked, suddenly seeming to realize someone was standing in front of her, too stunned to move.

She and Airi made eye contact...

And then Azumi smiled and pushed a button on her phone. "Honda! How'd you like to make twenty-five-hundred yen?"

"...eh?"

* * *

OP: "Healing Charm" – STAR ANIS

* * *

"Ehhh? Babysitting?!" Kiko cried at lunch that day.

Airi nodded as she took a sip of juice. "I found out today that Ms Miyamoto lives down the street from me – she was yelling at someone on the phone, and then when she saw me she asked me to watch Hana."

"Who is Hana?" asked Fuuka, blinking.

"Hana's her daughter."

"Geh!" the trio jumped in alarm, turning to see Isano sitting next to them, casually eating her lunch as if she always sat there.

Isano just grinned, lowering her fork back to her bento. "Ms Miyamoto has a daughter! Hana's her daughter," she repeated.

"How did you know that?" Fuuka asked.

"I'm an esteemed member of the newspaper club! I know _lots of things."_ Isano grinned at the end of her statement.

"I'm just surprised...Ms Miyamoto seems so young, and Hana..." Airi thought back to the girl who peered around her teacher after Azumi gave her proposal. The girls had locked eyes, and after a moment, the smaller girl had smiled cheerfully. She hadn't been wearing a uniform, but she had a backpack on, so she clearly went to school. She couldn't have been older than ten, but definitely not younger than seven.

Either way, not someone she would have expected the fresh-faced Azumi Miyamoto to be raising.

"Well, not that it's our concern but...we don't know the situation," Fuuka admitted. "Maybe Hana is adopted, or a step-child, or maybe Ms Miyamoto had her young. There's lots of reasons."

The girls nodded. This was true...families came in all kinds, and the three of them knew that very well – all of them had different family situations themselves. Airi had her mother and step-father, Kiko had her brother and a divorced father, Fuuka lived with her mother and had her grandmother right next door...

"In any case," Airi said suddenly. "I'm supposed to pick her up from the elementary school after class today. Ms Miyamoto needs me to watch her for a few hours, so..."

"You need a hand?" Kiko asked.

"I haven't sat in years, but I'm sure I can help too!" said Fuuka.

"Thanks, but I think I'll be alright! We're not that different in age, I think, and it'll only be a little bit. How bad can it be?"

* * *

TODAY'S EPISODE: PreCure's Tiny Friend

* * *

So she had said, but...

Airi hurriedly jogged to the elementary school, breathing heavily. "I – need – to -run – more...!" she gasped.

"You said that a few weeks ago, too, pedi!" Penny said from Airi's bag, laughing slightly.

"Ah, excuse me, young lady!"

Airi let out a loud squawk of alarm and nearly tripped over her own feet in her effort to stop. "Y-Yes!" she blurted out, looking to the person who had spoken.

An elderly woman stood there, a lost look on her face. "I'm sorry, miss, but I can't find the police box...would you help me?"

"Uhm! I'm in a hurry but..." Ohhh, it'd be okay if she gave directions, right? "Okay, uhm! Just go down this street until you reach the ice cream shop, then turn left. Go down until you reach the third light..." She faltered, seeing the old lady staring blankly. "Uhm...I guess I..." She glanced over her shoulder for one second.

 _Forgive me!_ "I can...walk you there?" she offered, holding her arm out. She just hoped Hana would wait for her!

* * *

"Why're you wearing those clothes? You look ridiculous!"

"I can't wear my usual clothing, can I? Then I'd stick out too much."

"Ugh...why are we even out here, if we're not here to find the Healing Flower today?"

Fever sighed, closing her eyes briefly. She brushed a speck of imaginary dust from her new clothes; a white shirt with ¾ sleeves, four green buttons on the front and a green Peter Pan collar. Her yellow pleated skirt swayed a little as she walked; muted brown thigh-high socks and pale yellow slip-on shoes with bows on the toes completed the ensemble. She had to blend in if she wanted to walk around without attracting attention – having a rat on her shoulder might get _some_ eyes on her, but at least the clothes wouldn't.

"Because Toxic's cough is worse than usual today," she said, worry tinging her voice. "And Poison wants us out of her hair while she tries to make something to soothe him. So we're out here for the day."

"Without looking for the Healing Flower?!"

"We have all day to look. Now hush, rats don't talk-"

Something tugged on her sleeve. Fever turned to look over her shoulder, blinking as she came face-to-face with a small girl.

"'scuse me," the girl said. She pointed at Inge. "Did your pet talk?"

Inge let out a loud groan.

* * *

"Goodbye, ma'am! I'm glad you found your cell phone!" Airi waved as she jogged away from the police box, the elderly lady and policeman waving goodbye. "Okay," she added in a determined voice. "If I'm fast enough, I can get to the school and-!"

"Waaaaah! Mom-myyy!"

Airi skidded to a halt, turning her head. Across the street, a little boy no older than five stood sobbing brokenly.

"Mommy, where are you? Mommyyy!"

"A-Are you lost?"

The boy stopped crying momentarily, sniffling loudly as he looked up at the pink-haired girl who suddenly stood before him. She smiled, looking a bit tense despite this, and held her hand out to him. "Let's...get you to the police box..."

* * *

"Quit following us!" Inge snapped, fur bristling.

"Inge..." Fever muttered. "Be quiet..."

"What's the point?! She knows I can talk anyway!"

She had a point there. And by now, the three of them had ended up in the park, which was miraculously free of people today, so she didn't have to worry about being heard by outsiders.

...yes, the three of them.

Fever looked over her shoulder at the girl, brows furrowed. The pink-haired girl still trailed after her, hands tightly gripping the straps of her pale pink backpack. She had dark skin, and her cheerful-looking eyes were a pretty purple color. It was clear her favorite color was yellow, because she was wearing a bright yellow sundress over yellow shorts, and had yellow shoes over tiny white socks. Her shoulder-length hair was sectioned off so she had two pigtails held in place with daisy hair clips, but the rest of it fell loose and free. She'd never seen this girl in her life, why was she following her?

"How long have you been able to talk?" the girl asked.

"My whole life!"

"Wow..." the girl whispered, eyes going wide. "That's neat!"

"Hmph..."

"My name's Hana! What're your names?"

"Eh..." Fever began.

"None of your-!"

"Chouko."

"Hah?!" Inge cried, looking at her friend. Seeing the unreadable expression on her face, she hmph'd and folded her stubby arms. "Fine, I'm Inge. Now would you _go away?"_

"Well..." Hana frowned. "I would but..."

Fever and Inge stared.

* * *

Airi stood at the schoolgates, gaping.

The campus was totally empty.

"M-Ms Miyamoto's going to _kill me!"_

"Hm? Excuse me, miss, is something wrong?"

"Ah?!" Airi whirled around, coming face to face with a custodian. He was pushing a long broom across the ground, picking up loose papers and dust, and looking at her with a kind expression. She immediately ran up to him, hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. "Mister! Mister, have you see a little girl?! I was supposed to pick her up today but then – but then people needed help and I was trying to run here and-" Her chest was getting tighter and tighter as she spoke. As her vision blurred, eyes stinging, she suddenly imagined the little girl from earlier in all sorts of horrible scenarios. She could be lost and alone, hungry and cold; she could be wandering into another town altogether; she could even be dead in an alley somewhere!

And it was all her fault, she should have come to the school faster and saved her.

She should have gotten here sooner, she should have-!

"A-And she could be lost, o-or kidnapped or s-something and I – I have to find her, I have to-!" she sobbed, shoulders shaking heavily.

"Mi-Miss!" the custodian gasped, dropping his broom. "Miss, it's alright, sh...Alright, come with me to the police box, and we'll see if anyone's seen your friend, okay?" After a few moments, during which the pink-haired girl couldn't even bring herself to speak, she was so overcome with sobbing and near-hyperventilation, he put a hand on her head. "And we'll get you some hot tea, too, alright miss? Come on, it'll be alright..."

And with those words, Airi was led into town.

* * *

 _Eyecatch 1: Airi walks unsteadily between Kiko and Fuuka, balancing Penny atop her head. Suddenly she trips and pitches forward, causing Penny to fall. Fuuka and Kiko each grab one of her upper arms, and Airi holds her hands together to catch Penny. Everyone laughs as the Cure Cure! PreCure logo appears.  
Eyecatch 2: The three Cure Balms appear in mid-air, rotating around each other before flying in different directions. We then see each girl has caught her respective Cure Balm, and opens it up. In flashes of pink, blue, and yellow light, the girls transform into the Cure selves and smile dreamily as they inhale the scent of their balms. The Cure Cure! PreCure logo appears in the corner._

* * *

Fever and Inge sat at an outdoor table, wearing twin expressions of exasperation, posing exactly the same with their chins in their hands and their elbows on the table.

The reason for this was sitting exactly across from them, cheerfully and noisily eating a banana parfait. "Mmm, thanks for the snack, Chouko! I've been really hungry all day!" Hana laughed.

"Didn't you eat lunch?" Fever asked before she could stop herself.

"M-hm, but it wasn't enough, I got hungry again," Hana said, shoveling another large spoonful into her mouth.

"Ugh, schools don't feed you kids enough," Inge scoffed, turning up her snout. "They oughta give three meals at those places! A mid-morning breakfast, lunch, and then dinner-lunch. That's ideal!"

Fever said nothing, just sat with her chin in her hands, staring straight ahead at nothing.

* * *

 _"But my mom was supposed to pick me up, and just didn't yet. I guess she's busy, but I can't stay at the school all day, and no one came to pick me up, and I'm not allowed to be in town by myself." Her solemn expression became a smile again as she lifted her gaze to the older girl. "And I saw you walking by, talking to your pet rat-"_

" _Her_ **_**pet?!"**_**

" _And you looked really nice and I was curious, so I followed you!"_

" _What?!" Fever gasped, turning around fully and crouching so she was at eye-level with Hana. "Hana! That's_ dangerous! _You don't know me or Inge – what if we were kidnappers?!"_

" _You're too young to be kidnappers," Hana laughed as if she'd been told a funny joke._

" _You need to go back to the school right no-"_

 _A loud rumble cut her off, and Hana placed her hands on her tummy._

 _Fever sighed. Well, she couldn't send someone away on an empty stomach, could she?_

* * *

And now they were here, at an outdoor cafe, paying for the snack of a little girl they had barely met.

Maybe Fever should have stayed home today...

The clatter of a spoon in glass caught her attention again, and she snapped back to reality just in time to see Hana lean back in her seat, parfait glass empty. "That was delicious! Thanks, Chouko!"

Fever blinked, then slowly turned towards Inge. "How was fast she eating?" she whispered.

"I don't know...I just blinked and it was gone!" Inge whispered back.

"Hey, hey, Chouko!" Hana said, leaning forward on the table. "Can we go play while we wait for my mom?"

"But you just ate – you'll get a stomach-ache," Fever said before she could stop herself. For a second she frowned, wondering where this sudden concern had come from, but then Hana was speaking again and taking her attention away.

"It doesn't have to be anything physically-demanding," she said. "You can take me to the arcade and we can play crane games!"

"Who said I was going to play with you anyway?" Fever muttered, but Hana was already getting up from the table, and Fever couldn't bring herself to say no. Well, spending time with this kid would keep her occupied while waiting for evening anyway... "Wait for me," she called as she scooped Inge off the table.

Hana stopped on the sidewalk, waiting for Fever to catch up, and then the two began walking. "D'you know where the arcade is?" Hana asked.

"No," Inge said before Fever could open her mouth.

"That's okay! I know where it is, I'll lead the way! Oh." Hana smiled and reached up. And then in the next moment, her smaller hand was wrapped around Fever's. "Mom says to hold peoples' hands when you're going somewhere. I tell her I'm ten and I don't need to do that anymore, but she worries and tells me to do it anyway."

"That's..." Fever began. _Nice? Weird?_ "...very good of her," she finished awkwardly.

Unnoticed by either of them, Inge shot Fever a sympathetic look.

* * *

"Okay, here I go!" Hana gripped the control stick tightly, a look of utmost concentration on her face. As Fever watched, she carefully maneuvered the claw over the pile of toys. Fever and Inge stood behind her, Fever's arms folded over her chest. Inge leaned forward slightly, paws curled slightly.

"You can do it, Hana..." she growled.

Hana nodded once, then let the claw drop. It opened up and fell towards the toys, rested for a moment...

...and came up empty.

"You cheating piece of crap!" Inge shouted, fur bristling.

"Inge!" Fever cried.

"It is! It's rigged, I tell ya, rigged!"

"It is! They're taking a kid's money and getting her hopes up, only to yank it away from her and I won't stand for it!"

"It's just a game, calm down..." Fever muttered.

"Move over, Hana!" Inge snapped as she leaped off of Fever's shoulder. In a second, she crawled inside the hatch of the crane game, and then popped up among the toys. "Which one did you want?"

"Inge!" Fever cried in alarm at the same time Hana said "The pink bear!"

Inge dove into the pile of toys, and before the girls' eyes, the pink teddy bear in the pile began moving towards the opening. It tumbled down, Inge hopping after it, and Hana casually pulled both out with a smile.

"Thank you, Inge!" Hana squealed, hugging the toy to her chest. With one hand, she reached out to pick up Inge and set her on her shoulder. She smiled at the startled look on Inge's face, and walked back to Fever. "I knew you guys were nice."

That seemed to stir up something in both Fever _and_ Inge. The two blinked, their expressions going neutral, and then Fever coughed into her hand. "Come on...the sun's about to set; we should get you home."

* * *

Airi sat with the police officer from earlier, shaking slightly as she held a can of hot tea in her hands. The custodian she'd been speaking to stood next to her, frowning lightly. "You say you don't know if she has a phone?"

"I j-just met her th-this morning!" Airi blurted out. "I – Oh my God, I'm so scared!"

"Okay, Miss Honda, it'll be alright...This is a good neighborhood, the only crime we usually see is a lost item, and no one's seem any suspicious activity. But since no one's spotted her yet, we're going to call her mother and-"

"Excuse me, I have a lost child and-"

 _"Hana!"_ shrieked Airi, leaping out of her seat. She flung herself at the young girl who just walked in with a green-haired girl, and hugged her tightly. "Hana, Hana, Hana!"

"Hi?" Hana laughed sheepishly.

"Hana, I was supposed to pick you up from school!" Airi cried, pulling away and holding the girl's face in her hands. "Why weren't you there?! I was only ten minutes late – you could have waited-"

"Wait...Mom wasn't going to pick me up?" Hana blinked. Apparently this was news to her. "She didn't say anything about a babysitter!"

"She what?!"

The police officer chuckled, adjusting his hat with his thumb and forefinger. "Well, it seems you've found her...now, young lady," he added with a hard look on his face. "You don't leave someplace if you're waiting for someone. If someone is supposed to get you and hasn't come, you either wait a little longer or you call someone you know and trust. I don't want this poor girl back in here because you wandered off again, you hear me?"

"Yes sir..." Hana said with a frown, clearly confused. "But really, Mom didn't mention a sitter...I guess she was busy or distracted."

Airi pulled away again, as she had leaned forward to hug Hana one more time, and sent Fever a grateful smile. "Thank you, friend! Thanks for finding her!"

Fever just stood there, her eyes wide in recognition. _This girl...that uniform...!_

"Chouko stayed with me all day! She told me we should come here, too, since it was getting so late," Hana explained. "Thanks, Chouko!"

"Yes, thank you, Chouko." Airi smiled at her and held her hand out. "I'm Airi Honda!"

"...Chouko Fukui." Fever reached out to grasp Airi's hand, the gears turning in her mind. _I can use this..._

* * *

ED: "PreCure, Healing Hearts!" - Hitomi Yoshida

* * *

ON THE NEXT EPISODE:

Airi: "Hp-thchoo!"

Penny: "A-Ah oh no! Airi, are you okay?!"

Airi: "I'm alri- hp-thchoo! J-Just a cold..."

Penny: "You have to let me help you!"

Airi: "It'll be fine, Penny, I just-"

Penny: "No, no, I insist! Next time on Cure Cure! PreCure: 'Airi Is Sick! Operation Recuperation!' Be well, everyone!"


	7. Chapter 7

Early one morning, two little birds sat in Airi's window garden, idly pecking at the soil. Any moment now, the curtains would open and the pink-haired human would water the flowers, sprinkle some seeds out for them...

But that didn't happen. The sun climbed higher and higher in the sky, which shifted from pink and gold to pale blue, but still nothing changed. Pii cocked her head as her partner chirped questioningly.

Inside, Suzuko set a bowl of oatmeal on the table and called upstairs. "Airi! Breakfast is ready!"

There was just silence.

"...Airi?" she called again.

More silence.

Ichijo frowned, lowering his paper. "That's odd...it's not like her to be late," he muttered.

"I'll see what's going on. Airi, honey?" Suzuko called as she walked up the stairs, her house slippers making small clicking sounds against the smooth wood. Soon enough, she found herself in front of a white door with a small pink sign on the front that read _Airi's Room~!_ Suzuko chuckled despite herself – she remembered when Airi had gotten that thing years ago. Suzuko had said that as an only child, she didn't need it, but Airi was so enamored with it, she couldn't say no. She knocked quietly on the door and, receiving no response, pushed it open and stepped into the room. "Airi?"

She ignored the stuffed owl sitting on Airi's pillow and crossed the room to her daughter's bed. How odd, Airi was still asleep... "Airi, honey, it's time to get-" She gasped suddenly, her hand recoiling. She had been reaching out to brush her bangs away from her forehead, but once she felt Airi's face...

"Airi, you're burning up!"

* * *

OP: "Healing Charm" – STAR ANIS

* * *

"Ehhhh? A cold?!" Fuuka and Kiko cried in unison.

Airi lay in bed, the thick covers pulled up to her shoulders, and smiled weakly at the girls. "Y-yeah..." she rasped a little as she spoke. Evidently her throat was affected as well. "I can't go out anywhere until I'm better...if I'm not okay by Monday, you'll bring the homework, right? _Hp-thchoo!"_

Fuuka and Kiko took a tiny step back, but still smiled warmly. "Of course we will," said Fuuka.

"Hey, why d'you need to ask us that? Can't you use your Cure powers to get well?" asked Kiko, looking between Airi and Fuuka.

"It doesn't work that way, I don't think," Airi mumbled. "This isn't caused by magic – it's just a natural cold. I think I have to recover the old-fashioned way..." she joked weakly.

"Oh...Well, you need us to stick around today? We can help you out!" Kiko offered.

Airi just shook her head. "Hm-m. I don't want either of you to catch my cold...S-Sure, Mom has to run errands and Ichijo has to go to work, but I told them I'll be fine on my own. I just want to rest a little bit, and Mom put bowls of oatmeal and soup in the fridge for me to heat up later, and she gave me some cold medicine earlier this morning. I'll be okay..."

"Are you sure?" Fuuka asked with a frown.

"Positively," Airi said with a small nod. "I just wanna...sleep a while..." Her voice quieted into mumbles at that, her eyes drifting shut. Then, she fell quiet, snuggling deeper into the blankets.

Kiko and Fuuka exchanged wry smiles. "Cold medicine, I tell ya..." Kiko chuckled. "Hey, Penny, you wanna hang out with us today?"

"No thanks, pedi! I have an important job!" The fairy puffed herself up as the two girls exchanged glances again. Maybe no one had told her to do this job, but by jove she would do it!

She had to help Airi get well again!

* * *

TODAY'S EPISODE: Airi Is Sick! Operation Recuperation!

* * *

Airi hadn't fallen asleep just yet, though. She stood at her nightstand, where a scented candle sat ready for use. Airi struck a match and carefully lit the wick before blowing out the match. She leaned over the candle for a moment to inhale the scent it was already giving off. "Ahhh..."

"What's that, pedi?"

"It's one of my aromatherapy candles. I usually light one when I don't feel good," Airi explained, a wan smile on her face. "This one's peppermint."

Penny closed her eyes, sniffing the air as the peppermint smell wafted over to her. "It smells good, pedi! And it makes you feel better?"

"Uh-huh. It helps a lot, anyway..." Airi yawned and shuffled back over to her bed. "And now...now I'm going to get a little more sleep. I'll get some soup later. G'night..." And as she settled herself under the thick covers, she dropped straight to sleep.

Penny just stared at the candle, the little wisp of smoke wafting above it. "Hmmmm..."

* * *

 _"Aaaah~! I finally made it!" Airi cried in happiness. "The kingdom of flowers~!"_

 _Airi ran through the large field of flowers, arms held out like airplane wings. The sun shone gently down on her, and up ahead she could see a shining castle. But in front of that, just a little ways ahead of Airi, was a beautiful young woman dressed in pink and white. "Uwaaah, I get to meet the Flower Princess, too! Hello, Your Highness!" Airi chirped, stopping in front of the woman._

 _The Flower Princess smiled sweetly, a bouquet of roses in her hands. "Hello, Airi. Do you smell smoke?"_

" _Do I what?" Airi blinked._

* * *

And then she blinked awake, her nose twitching. Say, she did smell smoke...And a lot of other smells clashing at once-

"Kyaaaaa! Penny, the scented candles!" she screeched suddenly, throwing off the covers and running to the table.

"These will make you all better!" Penny said obliviously. Next to her, ten candles were lit at once, all clustered next to one another.

"A-Ah no no no no!" Airi panicked, licking her fingertips and putting out the extra candles one by one. The smoke irritated her throat and eyes, and made her cough. She waved her hand over the candles to try and dispel the smoke. Ugh, and while she loved all these scents separate, it _really_ wasn't a good idea to mix peppermint, vanilla, sandalwood, thyme, lemongrass, rose, and two different kinds of "ocean breeze" together.

"Did you not like it, pedi?" Penny asked, deflating a bit.

"I – I only need one candle, Penny," said Airi. "And having that much fire so close together is dangerous! Are you burned anywhere?"

"No, pedi! I was careful, pedi!"

Airi breathed a sigh of relief and went back to bed. "No more candles...okay? I'm going to try to sleep again..."

Penny thought for a moment, then nodded, smiling again. "Okay! You just sleep, I'll help you get better in other ways!"

* * *

"You think we should've told Penny what we were doing today?" Kiko asked as she chopped carrots. "I mean, we're still gonna see Airi later."

"Hmm, yes, but we also should honor her wishes. And if she would rather stay with Airi all day, that's alright."

"By the way, why're we even making soup? She's got some at home."

"Yes, but this is Grandma's special recipe, not store-bought soup. And Airi needs all the soup she can get!" Fuuka smiled as she added some pepper to the pot of boiling broth and vegetables. "Are the carrots ready?"

"Oh yeah, here they are." Kiko tilted the cutting board over the pot and scraped the carrots in. "Want me to work on the onions?"

"Yes, please... And besides which, if Airi's parents are gone for the day, I'm happy that someone is still able to be with her."

"Oh my...is something wrong with Airi, Fuuka dear?"

"Ah, Grandma!" Fuuka turned to see Kaede standing in the doorway, supporting herself on her walker. "Did we disturb you?"

"No, no, dear, I was finishing my book anyway. Is Airi ill?" Kaede repeated, shuffling into the room.

"Yup, she's got a cold!" Kiko said through her onion-induced tears. "We're making soup to bring her later!"

Kaede's eyes lit up as she stopped next to Fuuka and looked into the pot. "Ah, you're using the recipe I used when _you_ were ill!"

Fuuka smiled shyly, looking back at her soup. "I couldn't think of anything better!"

"Let me help you girls. I want Airi to get better too, and it's always nice to spend time with you girls."

* * *

At the Honda residence, the kitchen wasn't as peaceful as the Mori kitchen.

Penny sat on the counter, staring hard at a can of beef stew. On the label, a smiling, cartoon cow boasted "Chock-full of protein and vegetables!"

"This'll help Airi get better, pedi!" Penny suddenly announced, smiling and flapping her wings a bit. "Now let me see, uhm...A bowl, she'll need a bowl..." Penny flew to another cupboard and nudged it open with her beak. Her eyes lit up when she saw stacks of white bowls. "Perfect, pedi! Alright, let me just get one..." she mumbled.

* * *

Upstairs in her room, Airi still slept peacefully. Her soft snores were abruptly disrupted, and her eyes opened blearily when a loud **CRASH!** sounded.

"Mmmwah...?"

* * *

Penny sat dazed on the countertop, surrounded by plastic bowls. "Uwah, pedi...Why'd that happen...? Ah!" She snapped out of her daze and her eyes lit up when she saw one bowl sitting, right-side-up, directly in front of her. "Perfect, pedi! Okay, uhm...heat the soup up and then put it in the bowl, pedi!"

* * *

Airi shuffled downstairs, sleepily rubbing one eye. "Hmm, Penny, what's going on? Is everything alright?" she mumbled.

"Airi, pedi! I'm making soup for you so you'll get better faster, pedi!" Penny cheerfully said, flapping her wings again. "It's in that heating box right now, pedi!"

"You mean the microwave...?" Airi asked, looking towards the aforementioned device. Then her sleepy eyes widened in panic. "Wh – Wait a minute, Penny, is that still in the can?!"

"Pedi?"

 _BOOM!_

* * *

"Masako, I don't care about what the head cheerleader Mayumi and her clique will say! I'm in love with you!"

"Taichi, it can never work! You're the star student, a star athlete, and the heir to the Kaneyama fortune! And now we learn you're a long-lost prince! What can I, a plain, ordinary student council secretary, offer you?"

"It doesn't matter what we can offer each other! This is love!"

Poison stared incredulously at the TV screen. "This passes for entertainment...?" she muttered. "This is one weird high school."

Toxic just stared at the screen, holding his blanket tighter around himself. "Don't _say_ that about yourself, Masako. You don't realize how wonderful you really are, and you love him!"

"Ughhhh, Inge, will you be okay watching Toxic until this show's over? This is too much even for me." For some reason, Fever seemed to have vanished a little before the show even began. Poison mused that she probably knew what she'd been in for, as she stood up and headed for the door. "Call me when it's over."

"It's a two-hour special," Inge said without missing a beat.

" _Uuuuughhhhh..."_

* * *

"I'm sorry, I thought you remembered I had soup in the fridge," Airi said, her voice muffled somewhat by the microwave. She leaned into it, cleaning up the stew dripping all over the inside with a warm washcloth. Every now and then she'd sneeze and have to clean _that_ up too, but she made no complaint.

Penny sat on the counter, looking rather deflated. "I'm sorry, pedi...I just thought it'd make you feel better..."

Airi turned to smile at Penny over her shoulder. "It's alright! It's the thought that counts, and I needed to wake up anyway."

"Pedi?"

"I need to get some proper food in me, and then I should take a bath. A bath will get all the sweat and yuck off, and it'll help me feel better too!" Airi punctuated her statement with a loud sneeze, her head snapping forward and _thwack_ -ing against the edge of the microwave. "O-Ouchie..."

"A bath..." Penny mumbled under her breath. Unseen by Airi, she suddenly perked up, eyes shining, and made a beeline for the upstairs.

* * *

As it turned out, running a bath was a lot more difficult that she'd anticipated. Oh, sure, she knew _how_ to do it, but actually doing it was another story... Especially when one had no hands or fingers, and relied on one's wings to stay at level with the hot and cold knobs. So Penny used her beak to drop the stopper into the drain, then awkwardly smacked herself against the knobs to turn them. She got a few painful bruises for her trouble, but _finally_ the water surged out.

Penny sighed in relief, dropping to sit on the side of the tub. Steam was rising from the water, so she guessed it was a warm enough temperature... Now Airi could finish her soup, come up here, and the bath would be all waiting for her and-

Her gaze landed on a pale pink bottle with pictures of bubbles on it. "Ah!" she gasped, eyes brightening. "A bubble bath will make Airi feel even better!"

* * *

"Phew...'s'finally clean." Airi breathed a sigh of relief and wiped her forehead with her arm. She had to take a few extra moments to properly catch her breath. As embarrassing as it sounded, cleaning a microwave was apparently categorized as "overexertion," and she felt a little winded. On top of that, the work combined with the heat of the microwave had made her start sweating again. Maybe she should decide to take a bath first and then eat.

...speaking of bath.

Airi straightened up, only now registering the sound of running water. From upstairs. And a quick glance at the counter told her that Penny had vanished.

"Oh no no no no no!" Airi cried.

The pink-haired girl skidded into the steam-filled bathroom, pausing momentarily to gape at the sight before her. The tub was half-full of steaming, pink water with way too many bubbles, Penny barely visible among them as she flapped her soaked wings in distress.

"He-e-e-elp me-e-e-e, pedi-i-i-i-i!" she wailed.

"A-Ah, Penny!" Airi shrieked as she ran forward.

* * *

 _Eyecatch 1: Airi walks unsteadily between Kiko and Fuuka, balancing Penny atop her head. Suddenly she trips and pitches forward, causing Penny to fall. Fuuka and Kiko each grab one of her upper arms, and Airi holds her hands together to catch Penny. Everyone laughs as the Cure Cure! PreCure logo appears.  
Eyecatch 2: The three Cure Balms appear in mid-air, rotating around each other before flying in different directions. We then see each girl has caught her respective Cure Balm, and opens it up. In flashes of pink, blue, and yellow light, the girls transform into the Cure selves and smile dreamily as they inhale the scent of their balms. The Cure Cure! PreCure logo appears in the corner._

* * *

Airi sat on the closed toilet, gently toweling off Penny. By now the water had been drained, the steam slowly airing out, and... Well, she was warmer and sweatier than she was before, but at least Penny was alright!

"You should have waited til I was finished," she reprimanded, but not unkindly. Her tone was as gentle as her ministrations with the towel. "Penny, that was dangerous. What if I hadn't heard the water in time?"

Penny just stared at nothingness, her eyes shiny. "I just..." she mumbled. "I j-just wanted to help, pedi...I just w-wanted to make you feel better, pedi..."

Airi sighed. "I know you did, Penny – I do appreciate it, really!" she made sure to add, a bright smile on her face. "But..."

Penny's eyes went even wider, an unpleasant feeling building in her tiny body.

* * *

 _Penny stared up at the healers as they themselves looked everywhere but her._

" _But...I'm sorry. But I'm afraid there's nothing you can do."_

* * *

"D-Don't say that, pedi!" Penny suddenly shrieked.

Airi blinked. "Penny...?"

"D-Don't say I can't help you, pedi! I – I wanna help you, I gotta make you better, pedi! Y-You're sick and – and I gotta-"

"Penny, calm down, it's alri-"

"B-But...!" Penny's attitude quickly changed, as she thought back to the day's events. "But then, e-even when I tried to h-help, all I did was m-make things worse...I – You're r-right, I can't help you, can I, pedi?"

"I never said-!"

"I'm so-sorry, Airi, pedi! I'm sorry I'm so useless!"

And before Airi could stop her, Penny had flown out of her hands, and out the open window.

"Penny! Penny, waaaiiit!" Airi yelled. She ran down the stairs, threw a coat over her pajamas, and ran out the door. "Pennyyyy!"

* * *

"You think this soup will help _that_ much?" Kiko asked.

"Of course it will! Grandma's special soup will cure anything, from the common cold to a broken heart," Fuuka said with a smile.

The two girls were walking down the street to Airi's house, Kiko carrying a stack of Tupperware containers in her arms. The containers were tied up to secure them together.

"A broken heart? Do I even wanna know?"

"Well, Grandma won't tell me the full story..."

"Waaaaaaah!"

"Eh?" Both girls stopped, facing forward – just in time for Penny to crash into Fuuka's chest. The girl stumbled backwards a few paces, getting a good grip on the fairy. "A-Ah, Penny!" she gasped, lifting her up to her face. "You're crying!"

"F-Fuu—Fuukaaaa..."

"I thought you were with Airi? Oh my God – did something happen?!" Kiko cried.

"N-No-"

As fate would have, Airi turned the corner and came into view just then, running towards the girls. "P-Penny...!" she called out.

The two human girls just stared. "Okay, what did we miss?" Kiko finally mumbled.

* * *

Poison hovered overhead, yawning widely. "Mmm, why'd I decide to leave for two hours? Nothing fun is happening...What am I gonna do with the rest of my time?"

 _"Penny...!_ "

"Hm? Oho, what's this?~" Poison grinned as she looked at the city below, and spotted Pretty Cure in the distance. "Ask and you shall receive, am I right? Now let me see...aha!" Her gaze fell on a jogger two streets away from the girls. "Perfect! This'll be entertaining, if nothing else!"

She held her arm out in front of herself, palm up, and snapped her fingers. A black sphere of energy appeared over her hand, and with a flick of her wrist it shot towards the jogger. "Give me your livelihood!"

A smirk appeared on her face as the sphere struck the jogger in the back, making him stumble and cough. Poison snapped her fingers again as the wriggling black shape started to push out from the jogger's spine. "Come out, Byouki!"

The gunk cockroach lifted into the air, flashed a black aura...

* * *

The girls whirled around, eyes wide when they heard a familiar roar.

"BYOOUUUUU!"

"A Byouki?! Here?!" Fuuka cried.

The ground began to shake beneath them, and soon said Byouki came around the corner. No, wait...it jogged around the corner. It looked vaguely like a man, if that man was fifteen feet tall and was made of solidified mucus and smelled of rotten garbage. "BYOOOU!" it roared, charging towards them.

"Oh no, you're not getting this soup!" Fuuka yelled

"Never mind the soup, would you?!" Kiko shot back, setting it on the ground.

 ** **"Pretty Cure, Healing Love~!"****

 ** **"The revitalizing taste of lemon balm, Cure Vaccine!"****

 ** **"The soothing touch of blue violet, Cure Antidote!"****

Airi, who at this point had caught up with the girls, pulled out her Cure Palm from her pajama pocket. "Now it's my turn! Pretty Cure-!"

"No, Airi! You're sick, you stay out of this!" Antidote yelled.

The Byouki leaped into the air to close the distance between them, falling towards the girls with one foot extended. "BYOOU!"

Antidote just grit her teeth and lifted her hands. The Byouki's foot struck her, but she pushed against it with equal force, refusing to let it crush any of them. "Go on!"

"B-But I-"

"Antidote and I can handle this." Vaccine quickly handed Airi the stack of soup. "Go!"

"But-!"

"Penny!"

"Pedi?" The owl fairy, who'd been sitting nervously by a tree since Airi's voice had reached them, looked up.

"You're the one responsible for taking care of Airi, right? So take care of her by getting her out of here!"

"But I can't-!"

 _"Penny!"_ the transformed girls shouted.

Vaccine leaped skyward, drawing her fist back. At the apex of her jump, at face-level with the Byouki, she suddenly slammed her fist forward, sending it flying away from them. "We'll handle this! _Take care of Airi!"_

These words seemed to have an effect on Penny. She blinked, her eyes slowly widening. Then she slowly seemed to puff up a bit, as if confidence or maybe determination had seized hold of her. Finally, she lifted herself off the ground and flew to Airi, gently tugging on one of her sleeves. "C'mon, Airi, pedi! 's'go!"

Airi hesitated for just one more moment, looking back as her friends ran towards and punched the Byouki together.

"Airi, please! Let me take care of you, pedi!" the fairy cried in desperation.

Airi looked back at Penny...then nodded, and ran with her down the street.

* * *

"Ugh, you have any idea how gross this thing is?!" Antidote yelled, narrowing avoiding a swipe of the Byouki's palm. "It's like I'm fighting snot and boogers!"

"A-Antidote, please..." Vaccine mumbled, looking a bit green.

"It is! It looks exactly like-!"

"BYOOUUUU!" The Byouki reeled itself back, chest expanding...and then it snapped forward, a clear glob of goo flying towards the girls.

They leaped out of the way in two different directions. Vaccine looked even greener as she saw how the glob just _stuck_ rather than splash. "That's disgusting..."

"BYOU! BYOU! BYOU!" the monster roared, spitting more of the nasty globs at them.

"Now he's spitting at us! That's so! Freaking! _Disgusting!"_ Antidote roared. She ran towards the Byouki, moving in a zigzag pattern to avoid its continued assaults. The Byouki braced itself for another kick or a punch, but all that happened was Antidote ran between its feet.

"Byou?" The Byouki bent down to look between its knees-

-and only saw Antidote's cheeky grin for a split-second before she punched it in the face.

* * *

Airi and Penny sat against a garden wall around the corner, the battle muffled in the distance. The stack of soup sat beside them, but Airi was more focused on Penny, who sat in front of her like a guard. "Don't worry, Airi, pedi!" she said. "I may be useless in helping you get well...b-but I can protect you this way, at least, pedi!"

"Useless...?" Airi blinked slowly. "Why...why would you say such a thing, Penny?"

Penny was silent for a long while. When she spoke, it was in a low, quivering voice, as if she were afraid speaking too loud would make her begin to cry. "I couldn't do anything right, pedi..." she murmured. "You got sick, just like the queen did...I couldn't do anything for her then, but at first I thought I might be able to for you. So I tried everything I could think of to make you better." She briefly thought back to her failed attempts; the candles, the soup, the bath... "But all I did was make things worse. I almost started a fire, you had to get out of bed and clean and didn't even get to eat the soup, and I almost drowned making your bath... I'm no help to you at all..."

Airi stared for a moment, dumbfounded. Then a small smile appeared on her lips, and she leaned forward to scoop up the fairy. Penny blinked in surprise, but all Airi did was cradle her to her chest. "You silly birdie..." Airi murmured. "You were making me feel better..."

"Pedi?"

"Penny...what I wanted to say earlier was; just having a friend be with me is enough. It was nice to know I wouldn't be alone with my cold. That you'd be by my side and I could hug you in my sleep. That I had one more person to care about me...

"You don't have to help me by making me meals or drawing a bath, Penny... I'm happy just to have you by my side." Airi held Penny out at arm's length so they could look at each other, a soft smile on her face.

Penny stared back, eyes wide and shining. "P-Pedi..." she whimpered. Then she began to cry, allowing Airi to hug her again. "Pediiii...!"

* * *

 **"Pretty Cure Violet Rush!"**

The Byouki shrieked as the attack overwhelmed it, then its cried abruptly stopped when it shifted back to a slime-cockroach and exploded.

As everything returned to normal, Antidote stood over Vaccine with a hand on her upper back. "You're not gonna be sick too, are ya?"

"Give me two minutes to get some air..."

Up above, Poison merely shrugged. "Eh. Well, I was entertained at least." She glanced over at a nearby clock and smiled. "And that stupid show is over, so I can go home!"

* * *

"Alright, are the blankets not too tight, pedi?" Penny asked.

Airi smiled at her. "Nope. They're perfect."

"Airi, I've put all the soup in the fridge for you!" Fuuka called, poking her head into the room.

"And these aren't in cans, so Penny won't make anything explode again," Kiko snickered.

 _"Who told you, pedi?!"_

Airi just laughed weakly, which became a minor coughing fit. Seeing this, Penny flew over to nestle between Airi's shoulder and neck, humming a little as if to soothe her. Airi smiled, removing a hand from under the blankets and gently stroking her friend's feathers.

Yeah...the best and most important thing right now was having someone who loved her at her side. And their presence was more than what she could ask for.

* * *

ED: "PreCure, Healing Hearts!" - Hitomi Yoshida

* * *

ON THE NEXT EPISODE:

Kiko: "Check it out, check it out! We have a new transfer student!"

Fuuka: "Ah! She came right up to us!"

Airi: "Maybe she's lonely and wants some friends?"

Kiko: "Well, the direct approach is best, I guess!"

Airi: "Next time on Cure Cure! PreCure: 'A New Friend? Exciting Outing With Chouko!' Be well, everyone!"


	8. Chapter 8

"Big news! Big news!" Isano shouted, throwing open the door. "Big news!"

Mio looked up from her manicure. "So correct me if I'm mistaken," she said flatly. "But it sounds like there's big news."

"Haha, very funny, Yamazaki." Isano shot her a look, then straightened her back and planted her hands on her hips. "I just heard Ms Miyamoto talking to the principal! Today's big news is..." She grinned and adjusted her glasses, making the light glint off them. "Today, we have a new transfer student!"

There was a brief moment of silence as everyone digested this information. Then it was as if someone had suddenly un-muted a TV.

"A transfer! How exciting!"

"Where d'ya think they transferred from?"

"Oh my God, will it be a boy or a girl?!"

"Kyaaah, what if they're an _ikemen?!"_

"You watch way too many dramas..."

"A transfer, huh? I didn't hear anything about this," Kiko said, balancing her pencil between her fingertips.

"Well, they don't normally tell the students..." Fuuka said sheepishly, scratching the side of her face. "But aside from that, this is pretty exciting! A new friend!"

"I can't wait to meet them!" Airi agreed.

Azumi appeared in the doorway just then. Taking stock of both the still-open door and her rambunctious students with a deadpan expression, she sighed. "So it looks like someone already spoiled my big announcement..."

* * *

OP: "Healing Charm" – STAR ANIS

* * *

"Okay, okay, quiet down..." Azumi rapped a ruler against the desk a few times. "Quiet, I said – quiet down!" She waited a moment as everyone finally quieted and began listening. "Now, as I'm sure Ito has told you, we have a new transfer student joining us today. So please make her feel welcome."

She then looked at the girl who stood next to her. "Would you write your name for us, please?"

"Yes, ma'am." The girl turned to face the board, writing her name in neat, broad strokes. "My name is Chouko Fukui." Chouko smiled, making direct eye contact with Airi. "I look forward to being with you."

* * *

TODAY'S EPISODE: A New Friend? Exciting Outing With Chouko!

* * *

"Would you like to tell us more about yourself, Fukui?"

"Yes. I like animals and gardening, and my favorite food is hamburger steak. My favorite subject is Gym, and I have a pet rat at home." She bowed. "Please take care of me."

After everyone finished applauding politely, Azumi smiled and gestured at the empty desk behind Airi. "Please take your seat behind Honda. Honda, would you raise your hand for Fukui? There she is."

"Thank you." Chouko bowed again, then made her way to her new desk. As soon as she finished sitting down, Kiko leaned back to whisper to her.

"I like rats, too. They're really smart, aren't they?"

Chouko blinked, as if surprised someone would greet her with that, but nodded all the same. "Yeah. You can teach them tricks, and they're really clean if they're raised in the right environment."

"Yeah! Y'know, I always wanted a pet rat but my dad-"

"Kobayashi! You'll have plenty of time to talk to Fukui later. Right now it's Literature time!" Azumi snapped.

* * *

"Eh? She's really attending a school now?" Poison asked.

Toxic nodded, adjusting the blanket around himself. "M-hm...she says - _kf!_ \- she found out who the pink Cure is...And we already de - _kf!_ \- described to her what the other two looked like when they weren't transformed, so she'll pick them out easily. Anyways, she - _kff! kff!_ \- she says this way she can kee-" He couldn't finish his sentence, suddenly overcome by a coughing fit that had him doubling over.

Poison was at his side in an instant, coaxing him back upright and pressing a cup of hot tea into his hands. As Toxic lowered his face mask just enough to drink it, Poison made a small hum and bit her thumb. "She's trying to get closer to them so she can at at their side in their more vulnerable moments too... Clever girl! Very clever! And this way, we don't have to do as much work!" She grinned, then blinked as she realized they were still one occupant short in the room. "By the way, where's Inge?"

* * *

Inge peered out of Chouko's bag with a disgruntled expression. "I hate school," she whispered.

Chouko just continued to stare ahead, muttering out of the corner of her mouth. "I know. And I thought I told you to sleep so it'll be over when you wake up."

"I _can't_ sleep! Being near those Pretty Cure is keeping me awake..."

"And remember, everyone. Just because the sports festival is coming up doesn't mean you can neglect your studies. I expect everyone to do at least just as well as they always do on this next test." The bell rang just then; Azumi looked at the clock. "Well, that's it for today. Everyone get outta here."

Kiko turned around in her seat. "Hey, Chouko?"

"Mm?"

"So, me and the girls are part of the Go-Home Club!" Kiko said with a broad grin. "So we don't have any obligations for after school. You wanna hang out with us?"

Chouko blinked. "Where?"

The other three girls exchanged a glance, then pumped their fists in front of their chests. "The mall~!"

* * *

"See, the mall isn't _just_ a hub for goods and services," Fuuka said as they all stepped off the bus. "It's also a great way to relax when you're in a new environment, and find a new favorite place to shop, try some food, make friends..."

"I think she gets the idea, Fuuka," Airi chuckled.

Fuuka blushed, poking her tongue out shyly. "S-Sorry..."

"Ah, by the way, is your grandma going to be okay on her own?"

"Of course she is! She's alright when I'm at school, after all. I just have to be home before dark."

Chouko brought up the rear of the group as they walked through the automatic doors. Her expression was unreadable, but inside... _I can't believe this. I wanted to get closer to these girls already, but here they are openly inviting me to an outing! They're making this almost too easy._

Inge, however, was having a much worse time. "Ugh, the mall's boring if I can't enjoy it too!" she huffed. "You owe me big-time for this, Fever!" she growled.

"Oh, be quiet," Chouko hissed.

"Eh? Chouko?"

Chouko blinked, straightening her spine. She paled a bit when she noticed the other three were staring at her. "Yes?"

"We asked where you wanted to go first," Airi said. "But then you said to be quiet? Is it too loud here?"

"A-Ah, no, it's not that! I was talking to...my stomach." She put a hand over her abdomen. "I'm a little hungry..."

"Ah!" Fuuka perked up. "You're in luck. The fifth floor is the food court, and they have a wide variety of food! You're sure to find something you like."

Before Chouko could protest, the girls dragged her off to the escalator.

And...Fuuka was right. There _was_ a wide variety of food. Chouko just stared as she tried to take it all in. Hawaiian barbecue, whatever that was, Vietnamese, hamburgers, fried chicken, ice-cream, sub sandwiches, fish... Her bag shifted and Inge peeked out, blinking tiredly. "Well, now I'm hungry," she muttered.

* * *

A short time later, the girls were gathered around a table, food spread out to cover the whole thing. Chouko just stared down at it, frowning. "Hey, how do we know whose is whose? I think you're getting your fries too close to my teriyaki burger."

Airi just grinned. "Well, when we go to the mall food court, we just order one meal apiece, and share it like this! It's more fun this way!" And with that, she grabbed for one of Kiko's chicken tenders, dipping it in barbecue sauce before taking a bite.

"Sharing food is more fun than eating it all by yourself, even if you eat it next to someone," Fuuka added.

Chouko just frowned harder, staring at the table top. What weird girls...

Kiko was the one to notice. She swallowed her bite of fish, and glanced between her friends. "Buuuut...maybe this is a little overwhelming for Chouko?"

Chouko looked up, blinking. "Huh?"

"Y-Yeah, maybe you're right..."

"Sorry, Chouko – uhm, you ordered the teriyaki burger with side of onion ring, right?" As Airi spoke, the three girls leaned over and pulled their own food away from Chouko's. "We should have asked first, sorry!"

"It's...alright," Chouko muttered. She leaned on her elbows and took a bite of an onion ring. "You guys..." she said, after a few moments of silence. "Seriously put your food that close together?"

"Well, only when we all share a table," said Kiko. "And when we're not using silverware. Like...of course at lunchtime at school, we keep everything organized and tidy, and we're _definitely_ not going to do this when we go to a restaurant. But when it's all casual and stuff like this, sure. Why?"

"Well..." Chouko's frown deepened. "My family doesn't do this. It's unsanitary, we'd get our germs everywhere and get sick."

"Ah, man, that sucks," Kiko muttered.

Fuuka nudged her, hissing " _Kiko_!" under her breath.

"What?"

"Ehhh, she means 'that's a little sad.' Bu-But they're your family and those are your rules and we shouldn't speak ill of either!" Airi hastily added, waving a hand in front of herself.

Chouko just shrugged and took a sip of soda. "It's alright. I'm used to it."

Once again, the girls exchanged glances.

* * *

"Okay, so what we have here is a photo booth!"

"Fuuuuu-kaaaa, Chouko's probably got tons of those in her own hometown!"

"Ah! R-Right, I'm sorry!"

Chouko stared at the pink box with a deadpan expression. Well, yes, she had seen photo booths before, but...a pink one? With decals that looked like huge ribbons? A picture on the side boasted that you could decorate the pictures with glitter and jewel patterns, which she supposed was usual, but then there were lace patterns, bokeh, sunbeams... "It's...really..." she muttered.

Kiko grinned. "Girly?" she muttered.

"I wasn't going to say that..." Chouko muttered back.

"But you were thinkin' it. It's okay, so did I."

Airi blushed and pouted a bit, cheeks puffing out. "I think it's cute," she mumbled. "It's a promotional booth for an idol anime. It was just set up last week! Do you want to give it a try, Chouko?"

Chouko curled her lip a little. "I, uh..."

Fuuka rubbed her arm sheepishly. "Er – you don't have to. It was just a suggestion."

 _Hm. So they fold easily,_ Chouko thought to herself. All she'd done was make a face and suddenly one of the girls was changing her tune. Useful to know.

"Maybe later," she said out loud. With those words, she turned on her heel and started to walk off, the other girls trailing behind her.

* * *

 _Eyecatch 1: Airi walks unsteadily between Kiko and Fuuka, balancing Penny atop her head. Suddenly she trips and pitches forward, causing Penny to fall. Fuuka and Kiko each grab one of her upper arms, and Airi holds her hands together to catch Penny. Everyone laughs as the Cure Cure! PreCure logo appears.  
Eyecatch 2: The three Cure Balms appear in mid-air, rotating around each other before flying in different directions. We then see each girl has caught her respective Cure Balm, and opens it up. In flashes of pink, blue, and yellow light, the girls transform into the Cure selves and smile dreamily as they inhale the scent of their balms. The Cure Cure! PreCure logo appears in the corner._

* * *

"Uwaaaah, look, the dress rental shop is open! Chouko, you wanna go inside and look around?"

"Nah."

* * *

"Hey, Chouko! Dance-off at the arcade?"

"Euugh, I don't think so."

* * *

"Chouko, look! Kittens!"

"What kind of a mall has kittens in it?" Chouko muttered, hugging her bag protectively to her chest.

* * *

"Hey, Honda..."

"Ah, yes?!" Airi said a little too loudly, turning around. She smiled expectantly at Chouko, hands clasped together. Did Chouko finally see something she liked?

But Chouko just stared flatly. "Where's the bathroom?"

"Oh...i-it's just down the hall. Do you want us to go with you, or-"

"No, I'm fine." Chouko turned and walked the direction Airi was pointing.

The remaining trio smiled and waved her off, but once she was out of sight, they sighed and sat on the edge of a large planter. Their elbows were on their knees and chins were in their hands. All three wore identical looks of despair and frustration.

"So. That was a disaster and a half..." Kiko muttered.

"I thought she sure she'd like the kittens..." Fuuka mumbled. Her brows knitted as a worried look appeared on her face. "Maybe she's allergic? I should have asked first..."

"Did you see the look on her face when we spread all our food out?" Airi said. She turned bright pink and covered her face. "Ugghhhh, we must have looked so stupid!"

Kiko sighed. "I'm sorry, girls."

"Eh?" the other two chorused.

"It was my idea to take her to the mall. I didn't ask for her opinion, or for yours,' or anything else. I didn't even take her feelings into consideration, I just assumed she'd want to come with us because...she seemed to like us. Or at least, she found us interesting. Right?" She looked up to see her friends gazing at her in sympathy. "But I just said 'hey, let's go,' and dragged her along. What if she has social anxiety or something? What if she hates crowds, or loud noises? It must've been so _miserable_ for her..." Kiko groaned and leaned forward, burying her face in her hands. "I _suck_."

"Kiko, that's not true at all..." Fuuka whispered.

* * *

Around the hallway corner, Chouko was leaning out and staring at the girls. Her bag wiggled a bit, and Inge poked her head out. "Soooo?" she prompted.

"I don't have a lot on them yet. I know the one in yellow, Fuuka, seems a bit of a crybaby, though. That's about it. Oh, yes, and they're going to make each other sick if they're not more careful with their food," she added, making a face.

"Speaking of food, you couldn't slip me any?!"

"I was _busy_ and they were _watching_! You know how suspicious it'd look if I dropped an onion ring in my bag." Chouko heaved a sigh. "I'll get you something later."

"You're not going to do this whole 'undercover' bit much longer, are ya?"

"It would also be suspicious if I suddenly stopped going to school." Chouko tsk'd and shook her head. "Just bear with it. If you can't handle this, stay home." She looked out again, moving her fingers into position to snap. "But it'd been a boring day so far...Maybe I should..."

* * *

"Ai-riiiiii~!"

Airi looked up, and she couldn't help smile as a familiar, pink-haired girl ran up to her for a hug.

* * *

 _"Hana?!"_ Chouko froze, halting her motions.

"What's _she_ doing here?!" Inge snapped.

Chouko bit her thumbnail.

* * *

"I didn't expect to see you here!" Airi laughed, patting Hana's head. "Are you with your babysitter?"

"No, I'm shopping with Mom today!"

As if on cue, Azumi walked over, carrying some shopping bags in hand. "Hana, I told you not to run off," she sighed. "That's _dangerous_." Then she noticed the girls. "Oh, hey. Fancy running into you here. Shouldn't you be studying?"

"Shouldn't you be grading papers?" Kiko said.

"Touche."

Just then, Chouko appeared, rubbing one arm and looking a bit uncomfortable. Kiko mentally kicked herself – so maybe Chouko _did_ hate crowded places. But Chouko didn't seem to notice the crowds, and just smiled awkwardly at Hana. "Hey, ah-"

"Big Sis Chouko!" Hana cried, latching onto her waist. Chouko froze for a second but Hana didn't seem to notice. "Is Inge with you today?"

The girls and adult blinked as one. "Inge?"

"Big Sis has a talking rat! It's really cool and-"

"Talking rat?"

"I-It's a trick! A trick!" Chouko blurted out, waving a hand in front of herself.

Hana frowned. "But-"

"Ah! Chouko, that's right! You were the one who found Hana for me!" Airi said suddenly, brightening. "Wow, she really seems to like you."

"Er, it's really-"

"I sure do! Big Sis got me a parfait, and Inge got me a toy from the arcade! She's awesome!"

"I'm not that-"

"What do you mean 'found her?'" Azumi interrupted, her eyes narrowing.

"Errr..."

Kiko noticed how pale Chouko was starting to look. _"O-kay, everyone!_ It's a bit crowded right now, can we finish this later?!" she said, a little too loud.

Azumi sighed and checked her watch. "Yeah, I gotta swing by the jewelry store real quick. C'mon, Hana."

"'kaaaay~" Hana looked over her shoulder as she followed Azumi back towards the escalator. "Bye-bye, Big Sis~!"

Kiko stole a glance at Chouko as Azumi and Hana disappeared. What she saw made her blink in surprise. After a moment, she took a deep breath and hopped up from her seat. "Man, it's loud in here," she said suddenly. "Let's get outta here already!"

* * *

They four of them waited for the bus in silence, the setting sun casting long shadows all around them. Kiko kept stealing glances at Chouko, but the other girl just stared ahead blankly. Finally, Kiko cleared her throat. "So, hey, Chouko? I wanna apologize?"

"Hah?" Chouko frowned as she looked at Kiko.

"I didn't think about the idea that you might not want to come here. Looking back, you didn't seem to have a good time at _all_. And that wasn't our intention! We wanted to be your friend, show you a good time...and I really messed that up, majorly. So...yeah. My bad, I'm sorry." Kiko punctuated her sentence with a bow.

Chouko blinked again. "Ah, it's not that I don't like crowds, it's just-"

"Malls aren't your thing though, right?" Fuuka said in sympathy. "I'm sorry too. For not asking you. I just talked on and on earlier, when I should have said 'Hey, Chouko, is this okay?' I'm sorry, too."

"And I'm sorry for...well, not asking if you'd like to spend time with us. You might not have _wanted_ to be our friend anyway, and after today, I'd be surprised if you did at all. I'm sorry, too," Airi added.

Chouko just stood there, apparently dumbfounded. Finally, she spoke, averting her eyes. "It's fine..."

There was another pause.

"Listen, I would like to hang out again, but-"

"Not at the mall?" Kiko chuckled. "That's fine, there's tons of other places! Ah, but only what you wanna do, okay?"

Chouko paused, then nodded. "Yes, that's fine."

Kiko smiled, then looked straight ahead again as the four of them continued to wait for the bus. At least Chouko had had _one_ nice thing happen, though...

* * *

 _Kiko stole a glance at Chouko as Azumi and Hana disappeared. What she saw made her blink in surprise._

 _While most of the day, Chouko had been wearing a deadpan expression, as she waved goodbye to Hana she was smiling warmly._

* * *

ED: "PreCure, Healing Hearts!" - Hitomi Yoshida

* * *

ON THE NEXT EPISODE:

Kiko: "The Sports Festival! I'm gonna wipe the floor with everyone!"

Airi: "Ah, Kiko, this is really about teamwork and group harmony-"

Kiko: "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say!"

Fuuka: "It's time to be divided into pairs now!...o-oh dear. Next time on Cure Cure! PreCure: 'Hustle, Hustle! Friends Work Together!' Be well, everyone!"


	9. Chapter 9

As the bell rang to start the school day, Azumi set down the chalk and stepped back so her class could see the board. In big, broad letters, the words "SPORTS DAY!" were written.

"Alright, everyone! Sports Day is just around the corner! I wanna see everyone working hard out there-!"

Kiko jumped a bit when she felt something sharp poke her in the spine. She looked over her shoulder and saw Chouko, leaning over her desk with her pencil in hand. Judging by the way she was holding it, she'd just poked Kiko to get her attention. With the lead part.

"You're supposed to use the eraser!" Kiko whispered.

"What's Sports Day?" Chouko whispered back, obliviously.

"Hah? You don't know?" Kiko's eyes widened.

"Kobayashi, Fukui! Stop talking over there and pay attention! I'm drawing names for the pairs!" Azumi snapped.

"Yes, ma'am!" Both girls faced the front, hands clasped on their desks. But as soon as Azumi was distracted again, Kiko turned back around. "Basically we all play a bunch of games with lots of running, physical challenges, and all that," she whispered. "We go up against the other classes."

Chouko blinked. "Then why is the teacher drawing pairs?"

"Because-"

"Fukui!"

Chouko jumped, but Azumi wasn't reprimanding her for talking.

"You'll be with Mori."

Fuuka and Chouko both sat there silently. Chouko nodded once, but Fuuka suddenly looked ready to pass out.

* * *

OP: "Healing Charm" – STAR ANIS

* * *

"And those are the pairs for this year's Sports Day. No switching is allowed, and no sabotage – I'm looking at you, Adachi." Azumi narrowed her eyes at one boy, who suddenly looked very interested in his pencil case. "If you don't like your partner, suck it up and deal with it – don't try to do anything that will make them unable to participate!"

Kiko and Airi smiled at each other; they had the good fortune (or "sheer luck," as one might call it) to be partnered together. Then their smiles faded slightly as they looked over at Fuuka, who sat slumped over her desk with her face hidden.

"Fuuka? Are you okay?" Airi asked.

"Hmmmmmnnnnf..." Fuuka groaned.

"H-hey, it won't be that bad!" Kiko laughed. "What's the big deal?"

Fuuka groaned again.

Behind the trio, Chouko frowned and bit her thumb.

* * *

TODAY'S EPISODE: Hustle, Hustle! Friends Work Together!

* * *

"I don't think Fuuka likes you very much."

Chouko glanced sidelong to her schoolbag, which sat next to her on the school roof. She'd taken to eating her lunch up there ever since she arrived. It was nice; it was quiet, peaceful, she had a great view of the campus...And the breeze felt nice, especially after being in a stuffy classroom.

...admittedly it was a tad lonely, but she could get over that.

Chouko took another bite of omurice as she watched Inge help herself to some takoyaki. "You don't say," she said flatly.

"Well, you saw her groaning like that after the teacher paired you off! She's totally hating you." Inge crammed an entire takoyaki into her mouth, somehow managing to speak around it. "I don't get why though. She seemed okay enough at the mall, aside from being annoying. Maybe she's just two-faced or somethin'-"

"Inge, that was sarcasm just now. I heard her groaning, too, you know."

Inge shot Chouko an indignant glare and swallowed her bite in one gulp. There was a brief second when she had to pound on her chest to get her food to go down, but once that passed she glared up at her friend again. Tiny paws on her hips, she spoke up. "Well, excuse me for looking out for you! You don't have to be so darn _rude_ about it, okay?!"

Chouko said nothing, just sipped her fruit juice in silence. "It doesn't matter much, though. She's not my friend or anything..."

* * *

After school that day, Fuuka ran the entire way home. Not because she was in a big hurry or anything, but because...well, Sports Day was coming. She should run, right? She had to try what Airi was trying and run a little more.

Her mother was there when she got home, but Fuuka barely noticed. She just hurried up the stairs, intending on going to the closet.

"Hm? Fuuka?" Fuuka's mother, Chisaki, a dark-skinned woman with black hair pulled into a bun at the base of her skull, peered up the stairs. "Fuuka, what's the hurry?" she called up. "We're finally home at the same time and you don't want to give a hello?"

"Sorry, Mom! I _have_ to hurry!" After a moment, Fuuka came back downstairs, wearing her orange and black jogging suit. She hadn't used it much at all, so it was still in good shape and looked almost new. "Sports Day is coming up!"

"Ah, is it?" Chisaki blinked and adjusted her glasses. "Are you going out to run with Airi and Kiko then?"

Fuuka shook her head as she reached the entryway. She grabbed her running shoes and started to lace them up. "No. Not today, not til Sports Day is over."

"Are you sure? You told me that Airi is running with Yamazaki sometimes. Maybe you could join her-"

"I gotta do this myself!" Fuuka snapped, taking Chisaki by surprise. The woman said nothing as Fuuka stood back up, tapped her toes into place and headed for the door. "I really should get going, Mom. I'll be back in time to eat dinner with you and Grandma. Bye!"

The door closed behind Fuuka as she jogged down the stairs, leaving Chisaki alone. She sighed, folding her arms over her breasts and looking at the floor. "Fuuka..." she mumbled. "You're still upset over last year..."

Outside, Fuuka jogged down the street, keeping her eyes straight ahead. Her breath was already coming out more harshly, but not just from exertion. _I can't let anyone down again..._

* * *

"Sports Day?" Poison mumbled. "Fever, that school is _weird_... Why would you want to dedicate an entire day to moving around too-fast, and all at once?" She reclined in her seat, drinking from a mug of tea. "Makes no sense."

"I'd like to move around more..." Toxic muttered, his words lost in a sudden fit of coughing.

"Well, of course _you_ would," Poison said in a gentler tone as Fever and Inge rubbed Toxic's back. "But...but this is entirely different! You don't have the same privilege. Those kids are all fit and healthy..." Poison's expression darkened. "I bet they're all just rubbing that in the faces of those who can't move like they can..."

* * *

The next morning at school, Kiko glanced around as she entered the school gates. That was weird... Airi was here, but didn't she usually...? "Yo, Airi!" she called out, approaching the pink-haired girl. "Where's Fuuka?"

"I'm not sure," Airi said with a frown. "I didn't meet her at all on my way to school."

Penny poked her head out of Airi's bag, a concerned look in her own eyes. "I wanted to fly up and see if I could find her, but Airi said that was too far, pedi," she sulked.

"It is too far! There's no need for it, after all."

They suddenly fell silent, Airi shoving Penny back into her bag, when Chouko appeared. The other girl silently walked between them, eyes forward and expression neutral. She didn't even acknowledge them. Airi and Kiko exchanged glances before running up to Chouko. "Chouko! Chouko, hey!" Kiko yelled.

Chouko paused in her step, showing she was listening.

"Have you seen Fuuka today?"

"Why would I have?" Chouko answered coolly.

"Well...you guys _are_ partners, right?" Kiko asked innocently.

Chouko grit her teeth. "That doesn't mean anything. I haven't seen her."

"Doesn't mean anything-?"

"We're partners for Sports Day! Not joined at the hip!" Chouko snapped again, and set off walking.

They didn't see Fuuka until they reached the classroom. She was already in her desk, half-asleep and a little sweaty.

"Fuuka!" Airi cried, running towards her. Kiko was close behind her, but Chouko moved more slowly. She barely gave Fuuka a passing glance, just sat in her seat. "Fuuka, are you okay?" Airi gasped, shaking her friend.

Fuuka groaned and opened her eyes. "I'm fine," she said with a tiny smile. "Just...tired..."

"Fuuka, are you taking up more clubs again?!" Airi demanded.

"No, no, nothing like that...I just got up early to run around the block a few times, and then run to school..." Fuuka yawned.

Kiko wrinkled her nose. "Without a shower?"

"W-Well, I took a tiny one? And I put on antiperspirant..."

"Still..."

Airi frowned harder. "Fuuka, is this because-"

"Alright, everyone take your seats!" Azumi said suddenly, throwing open the door. "Fun and games are over!"

"We'll talk later," Airi whispered.

* * *

But they didn't. After a quick lunch, Fuuka put her bento away, swapped out her shoes for the gym period ones, and excused herself to the track to get a few extra runs in. Kiko frowned as she watched her go, sipping idly at her milk. "What's with her all of a sudden? She doesn't usually run, not to my knowledge."

"Maybe she wants to do what Airi did, pedi?" Penny asked, peeking out of Airi's bag. "When Airi wanted to get stronger?"

Airi gasped suddenly, dropping her melon bread to the ground. "That's it! Why didn't I realize? She's still upset over last year..."

"Last year?" Kiko asked.

"Oh, that's right...you transferred _after_ Sports Day..." Airi mumbled, biting her thumb. "You see..."

* * *

 _"Bread-Eating Competition!" the teacher called, firing a pistol into the air. "Go!"_

 _Fuuka ran to the bread dangling on the string, hands behind her back. She stood on tip-toe to try and bite into it, but her nose kept bumping into it and nudging it aside._

 _"C'mon, Mori! Hurry up!" her classmates yelled._

 _In the end, she was among the last to take the bread._

 _Later, it was time for the baton-pass. Fuuka ran as fast and hard as she could, but she wasn't very good at running to begin with. Winded and exhausted, she was the last girl to pass the baton to her classmate before collapsing in a heap._

 _The scavenger hunt; she couldn't find "an idiot" and was the last person to bring anything...and she stood there alone anyway._

 _The ball-toss; all her throws were wild and fell short._

 _The three-legged race; she and her partner had barely taken more than three steps before Fuuka's shoe came untied and she tripped over the lace. She and her classmate fell in a tangled heap, and the other girl drew herself up in frustration. "Mori, why do you have to be like this?!" she snapped._

 _"Huh?" Fuuka blinked, eyes growing shiny with tears as her classmate finished her statement._

 _"You're just slowing everyone down! Why are you even participating? You're certainly not good enough for it! Why I had to be your stupid partner, I'll never know!"_

* * *

"Jeez..." Kiko muttered sympathetically.

"Fuuka was really upset about that..." Airi mumbled. "After the three-legged race was over, she ran into the gym bathroom and cried. It took me ten minutes to get her to come out again... I thought she'd gotten over it but I guess not..."

"So we should go talk to her then! Help her train, right?" Kiko asked, dramatically rising to her feet and pumping her fists.

"I dunno..." Airi bit her lower lip. "She might not let us...She might think we only feel sorry for her, right? And then she'll think she really _is_ useless and no good!"

Kiko sat back down with a sigh. "I guess...Geez, wish I'd been here last year. I coulda told those other people to back off..."

"Well, it's too late for that..." Airi mumbled. "All we can do is support what Fuuka's doing..."

* * *

For the rest of the week, Fuuka kept excusing herself to run, or to punch a punching bag (usually it came back and struck her in the face), or to try to shoot a basket. Every time, Airi and Kiko would watch her with sympathetic expressions on their faces, and Chouko would just look away with an unreadable expression.

Chouko didn't care if Fuuka was avoiding her...she definitely didn't. Fuuka just thought Chouko herself was worthless, right? That was why she was training so much. To pick up the slack that she felt Chouko wouldn't.

Chouko gripped her juice box tighter one day as she thought about it, expression darkening. Maybe she ought to take Poison up on her offer, the one she'd made yesterday...

* * *

 _Eyecatch 1: Airi walks unsteadily between Kiko and Fuuka, balancing Penny atop her head. Suddenly she trips and pitches forward, causing Penny to fall. Fuuka and Kiko each grab one of her upper arms, and Airi holds her hands together to catch Penny. Everyone laughs as the Cure Cure! PreCure logo appears.  
Eyecatch 2: The three Cure Balms appear in mid-air, rotating around each other before flying in different directions. We then see each girl has caught her respective Cure Balm, and opens it up. In flashes of pink, blue, and yellow light, the girls transform into the Cure selves and smile dreamily as they inhale the scent of their balms. The Cure Cure! PreCure logo appears in the corner._

* * *

Finally, Sports Day came around. Everyone milled about on the field, wearing their gym uniforms. Classes were divided by color and a cute symbol, and Azumi Miyamoto's class happened to be wearing purple headbands with a yellow star in the middle.

Fuuka sat on the bleachers, doing some stretches. She wasn't sure she'd trained nearly enough, but it was too late now... At least her mom wasn't here to see her, just in case.

She did, however, send one of her fellow nurses, one who had a day off that day, to record the events. The tape would go to both Chisaki and Kaede.

Somehow, the thought of looking like an uncoordinated idiot on film was a bit better than doing it live.

"Hiii, Fuuka!" a familiar voice rang out.

Fuuka jumped. "H-Hana?" she squeaked. "What are you doing here?"

Hana smiled, holding up a flag with a star on it. "I'm here to cheer for Mom's class! I brought a flag and everything, see?"

Fuuka chuckled. "Y-You sure did...but you didn't need to go that far."

"'course I did!" Hana laughed. "Oh, hi, Big Sis!"

Fuuka jumped a second time, looking on her other side to see Chouko approaching, an odd look on her face. "Chouko!" she squeaked, once again.

Chouko ignored her. "Hana? Why are you here?"

Hana pouted. "Okay, does _nobody_ think it's okay for me to support Mom's team?!"

Before either of them could answer, a shrill whistle sounded. "We are beginning the bread-eating contest!" a teacher shouted through a megaphone. "Will all pairs participating, please line up?"

Chouko looked at Fuuka. "You doin' that?" she asked coolly.

"U-Uhm, no..." Fuuka mumbled. "I had a big breakfast, so Airi's doing that..."

The baton pass went fine. Fuuka was the first to start running, so there was still plenty of time for her team to catch up. But as Chouko accepted the baton, she shot Fuuka a dark look.

Scavenger hunt; both girls unfolded the paper to see "something pink." Chouko looked around, but Fuuka immediately bolted away, leaving her in the dust. The other girl blinked, bewildered and slightly hurt that she couldn't even participate in the most fun game, in her opinion. She was especially miffed when Fuuka ran up with Hana. ("I was gonna pick her!" Chouko growled internally.)

The ball toss was okay- _ish_ , as they didn't need to team up, but Chouko couldn't help notice that Fuuka grabbed several balls from the basket at once, barely leaving any for her.

And by the time the crawling race came around, Chouko was decidedly _not having fun._

Especially since, despite Fuuka's best efforts...they were barely placing at all.

* * *

Fuuka leaned against the bleachers, panting and fanning herself. "I'm exhausted..." she mumbled.

Chouko glared. "Why do you have to be like this?!" she snapped.

"Huh?" Fuuka blinked, taken aback at the familiar words.

Chouko folded her arms, a bitter look in her eyes. "If you think I'm slowing you down, just say so! Don't do everything all yourself and leave me with nothing! If you hated being my partner and you think I'm no good, fine, but just say so!" Chouko turned on her heel and stormed off, leaving Fuuka speechless and hurt.

Nearby, Kiko and Airi stood together, holding hands in mutual concern. "Fuuka..." they mumbled.

High above, the air rippled, and Poison appeared. "Looks like I'm a bit late," she mumbled. "Oh well..." She snapped her fingers, a black sphere appearing above her palm. "Better late than never! Grant me your livelihood!" she yelled, flinging the sphere towards a young man trying to arm-wrestle with his partner.

The boy below suddenly pitched forward, coughing and wheezing, feverish.

"Whoa, hey, Adachi, you okay, bro?" his partner asked.

Poison grinned wickedly and snapped her fingers again. "Come out, Byouki!"

The black gunk cockroach ripped itself from Adachi's spine, and in a flash of light...

* * *

"BYOOUUUU!"

The girls cried out, whirling around to see a twelve-foot-tall Byouki. It looked like a facade of a person, one made of sickly-yellow slime and green spots, wearing a giant version of the gym uniform. A headband with the symbols for "FIGHTING!" was wrapped around its forehead.

"SPORTS DAY! BRING IT OOOON!" the Byouki roared, flexing even as panicked civilians ran away.

Hana tried to run towards it, waving her flag angrily. "You're ruining Sports Day!" she cried.

"Hana!" Azumi yelled, scooping her up.

Amidst the chaos, Chouko stood hiding near the bleachers, her schoolbag (and Inge inside it) in her arms, a light smirk on her face. This would teach that stupid Fuuka...

"Girls!" Airi cried as the last of the crowd left.

"Right!"

 **"Pretty Cure, Healing Love~!"**

" **The calming scent of rosewood, Cure Remedy!"  
"The revitalizing taste of lemon balm, Cure Vaccine!"  
"The soothing touch of blue violet, Cure Antidote!"**

 **"Healing all ills, healing all hearts!"** The girls all smiled and struck a pose. **"Cure Cure! PreCure!"**

"BYOOU! BREAD!"

The girls blinked, blank expressions on their faces. "Bread?" Antidote muttered. "What'd it mean by-"

Her question was immediately answered when a giant curry bun flew towards them. Antidote and Remedy screamed and jumped out of the way, but Vaccine wasn't quick enough. The bread slammed her into the ground, skidding and driving her deeper into it like a meteorite.

"Vaccine!" Remedy and Antidote yelled together, running to where she'd landed.

"VACCINE LOSES! BYOUKI WINS!" the monster crowed, flexing its arms.

Remedy and Antidote shoved the giant piece of bread off of Vaccine, revealing their stunned teammate. Remedy dropped to her knees to help her up. "Are you okay?!"

"Th-that hurt..." Vaccine mumbled.

"Pretty Cure, look out, pedi!" Penny suddenly shouted from the bleachers.

Too late. The Byouki had suddenly launched a giant rope out its arm, the end of it looping around Remedy's waist. "BYOU! TUG OF WAR!" it roared, pulling on the rope.

Vaccine was quick to grab Remedy's hands, pulling her back. "This is beyond not funny!" Antidote shouted, grabbing Vaccine's own waist and pulling.

"Speak for yourself," snickered Poison. "I just wish I had snacks..."

"My wrists huuurt!" Remedy cried, kicking her legs.

"Just hang in there! I've got y-!" Vaccine's words were cut off when the Byouki gave a mighty tug, pulling Remedy out of her grip. The pink Cure screamed as she sailed over the Byouki's head and crashed back to the ground.

"VACCINE LOSES! BYOUKI WINS!"

"I'm getting _so_ sick of that," Antidote snarled, racing up the the monster. "Hey, you overgrown meathead! Try this on for size! Pretty Cure Antid-"

"BYOU! ROLL THE BALL!"

A giant rubber ball shot out, rolling towards Antidote at top speed. Antidote threw her hands up to stop it, digging in her heels, but the Byouki just fired off another one, and both of them ended up rolling over her. "BYOUKI WINS!"

"G-Girls!" Vaccine cried, running towards them.

"BYOU! NET CRAWL!"

A huge net shot out then, falling over Vaccine. Her legs soon entangled in the ropes, making her trip and crash to the ground. Clouds of dust and dirt went up all around her, making her cough.

In the distance, Chouko couldn't help but wince. "I'm a little jealous," she mumbled. "Poison's having an easier time than I ever did."

"VACCINE LOSES! BYOUKI WINS! THREE LOSSES FOR VACCINE!" the Byouki cheered, flexing again. "VACCINE IS LOSER!"

"H-Hah? That's not..." Vaccine paused in her struggle to get out from under the net, eyes wide.

"LOSER."

"I am not..." she mumbled, her eyes growing shiny.

"LOSER CURE! FAILURE! STUPID CURE!"

"No I'm not..." Vaccine squeezed her eyes shut, tears dotting her lashes. She knew she shouldn't let the Byouki's words get to her – it was just a stupid monster, just a dumb monster who didn't know anything. But it was right, wasn't it? She couldn't do anything, not for Sports Day and not for this fight! She was such a-

"She is not a loser!" Remedy's voice rang out, loud and clear.

Vaccine's eyes snapped open. "Huh?"

"She's not a loser! Losers give up!" Antidote added, her voice just as loud as Remedy's. "Vaccine never gives up!"

"Vaccine's been out here all this time, trying to practice and improve herself! A loser would never have done that! A loser would never have even _thought_ about it!" Remedy yelled.

"Remedy..."

"And y'know what?! Yeah, Vaccine's been discouraged in the past, but she didn't let that drag her down! She didn't quit because of one incident! She just got back up and kept on going, even if things were difficult! She's not a loser and you better apologize for saying she is!"

Vaccine rose to her hands and knees, digesting all this. Her friends...they saw she'd been working hard. They'd seen her, they'd appreciated what she'd been doing, they knew why. They didn't see her hard at work and think of her as a failure, or hold the previous year over her head. They saw her striving to improve, and they thought she was strong for it. Not a loser.

And she hadn't thought of them once, had she? She should have realized... Vaccine blinked away the tears, her fingers gripping the grass harder. She should have realized...

"I still messed up..." she said suddenly. Her voice was low, but it still carried. It caught everyone's attention, all gazes were on her. She pushed herself off the ground, the net still over her like a holey bed sheet. "I still did something wrong," she repeated. "They're right – I did keep practicing, I did all that hard work, I did try my hardest...but I should have realized..." Her head snapped up, revealing her eyes were blazing in determination and anger. "I should have realized that my friends were always there for me! I didn't have to do any of this alone – I thought I did, but I didn't! And...and I shouldn't have neglected Chouko!"

From her hiding place, Chouko blinked, a quiet "huh?" escaping her.

In one swift movement, Vaccine pulled the net off of herself, slowly jogging towards the still-stunned Byouki. "Chouko is my partner! Chouko is my friend, too!"

"BYOU! BREAD!" The Byouki shot another curry bun at Vaccine-

-only for Vaccine to leap above it, clearing it effortlessly. Without missing a step, she landed and continued her run. "I shouldn't have trained alone! I should have known I can rely on Chouko too! Because..." She leaped into the air again.

"BYOU! NET-"

 **POW!** The Byouki didn't get to finish its command, as Vaccine's fist connected with its face, causing it to rotate around. Things seemed to go in slow-motion for a moment, then Vaccine followed up with a spin-kick.

The Byouki cried out in pain and surprise as it went flying, crashing into the chain-link fence.

 _"Because friends work together!"_ Vaccine shouted. **"Pretty Cure Citrus Splash!"**

As usual, the Byouki was surrounded in the healing light, writhing before exploding harmlessly.

As everything was restored to what it once was, Poison clicked her tongue. "What a pain..." she muttered, before teleporting away.

"Vaccine!" Remedy and Antidote came running up to their friend, concern and joy in their eyes. "Vaccine, you were awesome!"

Vaccine blushed, smiling sheepishly. "Th-thanks girls...I'm sorry I tried to do all that on my own."

"No, we're sorry!" Antidote cried. "We should have offered to join you!"

"But I would have refused, you knew that."

"We still could have tried!"

Remedy cleared her throat and smiled gently. "There's still time, you know," she said.

"Sports Day is underway again, pedi!" Penny cheered, landing on Remedy's head.

In the distance, Chouko stood with her head bowed, biting her lower lip.

* * *

"Attention, everyone! The three-legged race is about to begin! Everyone, find your partners!"

"Choukoooo!" Fuuka called out, scanning the crowd. "Chouko, it's time to- Ah!" She smiled as the green-haired girl appeared, a length of ribbon in her hand. "There you are! Listen, I've been meaning to-"

"I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Fuuka blinked.

Chouko wasn't looking at her, just staring into the distance. "I didn't...have many friends in my other school. So when you kept...leaving me...I didn't even try to keep up with you. I just let you go, I just thought..." She shook her head. "Never mind. Point is, I should have...You're my partner and I should have... Gah, I don't even know what I'm trying to get at here."

Fuuka stared for a moment, then smiled and put her hand over Chouko's own, catching the other girl's attention. Once their eyes met, Fuuka's smile widened. "Let's just say...'let's do this together.' Deal?"

Chouko's expression was neutral at first, then a small smile appeared on her own face as she scoffed. "Deal."

A few minutes later, everyone was standing at the starting line, legs tied together and arms looped around shoulders. In the stands were cheering students, friends and family alike. Chouko could see Hana in front with her mom, waving a flag with the classroom's number on it. "Go, Big Sis! Go, Fuuka!" she crowed.

Chouko glanced aside briefly to wave, then she and Fuuka looked straight ahead as the teacher spoke again. "Racers at the ready! One! Two!"

"Remember..." Chouko mumbled.

"Together," Fuuka responded.

 **BANG!**

Everyone took off at awkward, hobbling paces of various speeds. Already some students were getting tangled up in each other and falling down, causing some students to bump into them. Others tried to go around them, with varying degrees of success.

Fuuka and Chouko just stared ahead, arms tightly around each others' shoulders. They moved their legs together in rhythm, mumbling to themselves.

"Inside. Outside. Inside. Outside."

"Pick up the pace – inside. Outside."

Rather than attempt to run at their own paces and fall over, like most of their competition, Fuuka and Chouko moved their legs together. On "inside," they both moved their tied-together legs, and on "outside," their free ones. They moved faster as they got used to the motion, their steps perfectly in sync.

"They're doing it! They're doing it! Go, Fuuka, Chouko!" Kiko cheered, pumping her fist into the air.

"You can do it, Big Sis!" Hana cheered.

"Inside. Out. In. Out..." the girls mumbled together.

Fuuka kept walking in time, but her breath caught in her throat as she felt something light hit her ankle. She glanced downwards to see – "A-Ah, my shoe's untied!" Fuuka cried, faltering in her step.

Chouko just hugged her tighter. "Keep going. I won't let you fall. Just keep moving, keep moving..." she muttered. The two continued to move, forgetting to chant. But by that point, they didn't need it. The sound of cheering was a dull roar in their ears, white noise as they came closer and closer to the finish line...

And stepped over it together.

"Yeeeaaaah! Hooray for Fuuka and Chouko!"

"Big Sis did it!" Hana threw her flag into the air.

"All you other teachers owe me two hundred yen!" Azumi shouted, pointing at some of her fellows.

"You were _betting_?!" Kiko cried.

Fuuka and Chouko just stood there, arms still around each other, as their classmates ran towards them. They glanced at each other, and then smiled.

 _"We did it~!"_

* * *

ED: "PreCure, Healing Hearts!" - Hitomi Yoshida

* * *

ON THE NEXT EPISODE:

Kiko: "What the-? Flowers, presents, a bouquet...?"

Airi: "I think Kiko has a secret admirer!"

Fuuka: "Kyaaah, how sweet!"

Kiko: "But who the heck could be sending me all these? And..and the flowers have a weird smell to them! Next time on Cure Cure! PreCure: 'Once Upon A Time...Antidote and the Beast?' Be well, everyone!"


	10. Chapter 10

**"Pretty Cure Violet Rush!"**

Antidote grinned smugly as the Byouki exploded into nothing, high-fiving Remedy when the latter ran up to her. "We did it!" she cheered.

In the distance, Fever snarled bitterly. "Damn it, I thought for sure that getting them before school would..." Suddenly she blinked and checked her watch, eyes widening. "Ah! I need to get going too!" Another snap of her fingers, and she shifted into her school uniform, then grabbed for her bag. But then she noticed someone missing. "Inge?"

Inge hid in the treetops, growling in frustration. Another Byouki destroyed. What would Blight think of them?! They had to eliminate Pretty Cure and they had to do it today! If she could just-

Hey, there was an idea. _She_ could make a Byouki! How hard could it be? The rat closed her eyes and concentrated. She couldn't snap any fingers, but maybe she didn't need to? Maybe clapping would work better. How did the others do it? "Okay, okay, I just need a strong Byouki, I need a Byouki to face Pretty Cure, c'mooooon, Byouki..." she muttered. She felt a tingling in her paws and opened one eye to see a familiar black sphere hovering above her paws. "Yes!" she whispered. "Now for, uhm...aha!" She spotted a boy walking to school a street away from the Cures. "Grant me your livelihood or whatever it is!" she yelled, clapping her paws again and sending the sphere flying.

Her grin widened as the boy suddenly sneezed and a black cockroach slithered out of his back. A burst of black light later and Inge was grinning at a Byouki hovering in front of her. "Awesoooome," she sighed. "Alright, Byouki, you see those girls there?"

The Byouki looked down, sighting the Cures. "Byouuu..." it warbled.

Inge frowned; it was quieter than other Byouki had been. Oh well. "I need you to get rid of them! Ah, see, look!" she crowed as the girls de-transformed and started running down the street. "They're not transformed anymore! They're vulnerable! Now just-"

"Byooouuuu...~" The Byouki's face turned a bit pink as it stared after them.

"Uh..."

"Byouuu!" The Byouki suddenly launched itself higher into the sky until it was out of sight, leaving Inge gaping on her tree branch.

"H-Hey, wait! You're supposed to – you get back – You didn't-!" Her tiny shoulders slumped as she stared at the sky in horror and disbelief. Fantastic, her Byouki not only wasn't listening, but it was likely to be purified in the next ten minutes! "Ohhhhh, _why me?"_

* * *

OP: "Healing Charm" – STAR ANIS

* * *

"Mmmmmmade it!" Kiko cried, her foot touching down on the campus. "Yes! Byouki? What Byouki? We're here on time as if nothing happened! We're awesome," she snickered as Airi and Fuuka followed her.

"Don't jinx it, Kiko, we might not be lucky next time..." Airi chuckled.

As they walked through campus, they passed by a girl giving a boy a pink envelope. The boy, coughing slightly, accepted it, face red even from where the girls were standing. "Awww, how sweet!" Airi sighed, a hand on one cheek. "I wish I could get a love letter someday."

"Not me...I'd rather wait til high school," Fuuka mumbled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I don't need love letters at all!" Penny said from Airi's bag. "Just licorice! How about you, Kiko?"

"Hmmm...I guess it'd be alright, but I don't like anyone that way." Kiko shrugged carelessly as the group continued towards the school.

In the bushes nearby, a creature with bright red eyes stared after them, warbling quietly.

* * *

TODAY'S EPISODE: Once Upon A Time...Antidote and the Beast?

* * *

"And as the willow tree was finally chopped down, Higo disappeared in her husband's arms. Heitaro was so distraught by the loss of the woman he loved that he vowed never to love again, and became a monk." Azumi closed the book then, and looked up at the class. A few of her students stared back with tears in their eyes as she spoke. "Well, with that _pleasant_ story out of the way, let's talk about tragic love in literature and folklore. In folklore, there are a lot of stories of supernatural beings – oftentimes shapeshifters – who have a romance with a human. Most, if not all, of these end in tragedy, as the supernatural lover either has to leave, dies, or is forced to kill their human lover. The last example occurred in the story of a _yuki-onna_ who fell in love with a man..."

Kiko wasn't listening, preferring to doodle in her notebook.

Behind her, Chouko sat in rapt attention, gaze forward. She hadn't expected to hear about something like _this_ in school today. She didn't think Earth had such stories – okay, sure, there were tales of humans back home falling for fairies, but for Earth to have them too?

...it kind of sucked that they mostly ended badly, though.

"And- ah, yes, Chouko?" Azumi blinked when she saw the girl's hand up.

"Why do they all have to end like that?" she asked with a mild frown. "Can't they live happily together?"

Azumi frowned herself, licking her lips as she thought. "You know, I'm really not sure. Perhaps it would have ended in tragedy anyway, due to the differing lifespans, so the writers just want to get it over with? On the other hand, some of these stories are ancient, so maybe they were cautionary tales about not getting involved with the supernatural. What do you think, Kobayashi?"

Kiko blinked and looked up from her notebook, meeting Azumi's deadpan stare. "Uh...what?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Hallway, now." Azumi lifted an arm and snapped her fingers in the direction of the door.

With a grumble, Kiko gathered her things and left the room. The last thing she heard before shutting the door was Azumi saying "Now, another thing I've noticed is that usually the non-human is female instead of male..." And then there was just silence.

* * *

Kiko sighed and leaned against the wall, hands behind her head. Well, now she was stuck out here until Azumi let her back in. Which could be anywhere from five minutes to twenty, depending on how mad she was. Either way, she'd be out here, bored. With a sigh, Kiko closed her eyes, thinking she might as well doze a little-

-when there was a tapping at the window in front of her.

Her eyes opened again. "Huh?" The tapping was gone as soon as she opened her eyes, but something was outside. Kiko frowned and made her way over, pressing her hands and face to the window to see...

...a pink envelope resting on the sill.

Kiko just stared blankly. "How did _that_ get there?"

The door opened behind her. "Kobayashi, you can come in now!"

"'kaaay!"

As Kiko turned and went back to the classroom, a Byouki hiding below the window warbled in dejection.

* * *

"A pink envelope?"

It was lunchtime, and the girls were sitting in their usual place on the edge of the school fountain. Kiko nodded, spearing a fried octopus ball and popping it into her mouth. "It was really weird," she said around it. "I mean, first I thought it mighta got blown up there, but the wind can't be _that_ strong. I mean, our class is on the second floor."

Airi hummed a little, sipping at her orange juice. "I wonder where it came from, though...I hope whoever it was meant for already read the letter inside..."

"I don't think so. It was sealed."

Inside Airi's bag, Penny's eyes watered a bit. "That's terrible, pedi...some poor person can't give away their love letter, pedi..." And obviously it was a love letter. The envelope was _pink_ , what else could it have been?

Kiko sighed and waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. It was probably an extra envelope that guy from earlier had. I mean, what're the odds of there be _two_ love letters in one day? I'm sure it's fine." Suddenly smiling, she lowered her fork and looked at her friends. "So! Chouko seemed interested in the literature discussion today!"

"You were daydreaming and that's what you picked up on?" Airi said with an awkward chuckle.

"I've never heard her speak out in class before, though. Maybe this means she's feeling more comfortable in our school." Kiko's expression turned nostalgic. "I mean, I know how it is to be the new girl, and the first time I offered something in class, I really did feel like I belonged. Maybe for Chouko, it's the same way?"

The girls looked toward the school roof. They couldn't see her from that distance, but they knew she was up there.

"...think we should try eating with her again?" asked Airi. "Last time overwhelmed her a bit, but maybe..."

Everyone nodded.

* * *

Back in the classroom, Kiko stood at her desk, staring blankly. Around her, everyone else carried on with their business, but Kiko couldn't move.

Azumi entered the classroom, crushing a soda can and throwing it in the trash. "Okay, everyone, take your seats – Kobayashi, why aren't you sitting down?"

"Ah, this is gonna sound weird, Teach, but there's..."

"What?" Azumi walked to the desk and... joined Kiko in staring.

The inside of her desk was stuffed with freshly-picked flowers. Right from the school gardens.

That explained the yells coming from the gardening club outside.

The gifts kept coming all throughout the day. During clean-up duty, Kiko went out to refill the mop bucket and found more flowers sitting by the water fountain – and not growing out of the ground, but plucked and gently deposited. When she finished helping clean the classroom and went to grab her shoes from the foot locker, she found a can of cold soda waiting for her. Nothing happened during her walk home, but an hour after she got home she saw even her _window sill_ had been covered with picked flowers, and even a candy box.

And thaaat was creepy.

Kiko frowned and forced open her window, looking around angrily. "Where are you?" she muttered, one eye twitching a bit. "It was weird enough at school, but now you're coming to my _house?_ Get out here!"

"Byou?"

Kiko's eyes widened and she let out a short, but loud, scream as she stumbled away from the window.

Upon her order to come out, a Byouki had suddenly flown up in front of her – a lot smaller than the ones the girls usually faced, but undeniably a Byouki. "Byooou..." the Byouki warbled again, pushing the candy box closer to Kiko's open window.

"Kiko? Everything okay up there?" her father's voice called from below.

"You hit your head on something?" her brother's voice came up.

"I-I'm fine!" Kiko squeaked out. She wasn't _scared._ Just startled. Byouki had never been this bold before.

And...it wasn't even doing anything either. As Kiko watched, the Byouki appeared to just be hovering outside the window, a little pink in the cheeks, glancing nervously between her and the smorgasbord of flowers on the sill. It tapped its claws together a few times, the blush intensifying as it looked at her again. "Byou...?" it whimpered.

Kiko stared and reached for her phone. She hit a button without even looking at it and held it up to her ear. "Uhm, Airi?" she said.

* * *

"It's not...doing anything?" asked Fuuka.

The three girls were situated in Kiko's room, sitting in a small circle on the floor. Kiko shook her head, and all three of them glanced over to her bed. The Byouki was sitting in the center of it, looking around almost shyly and tapping its claws together.

Now that the shock of seeing it suddenly fly up to her was gone, Kiko could get a good look at the Byouki's appearance. It sort of looked like a tiny, chubby dragon. Its bat-like wings were twice as big as its body, even folded up. It had huge eyes, and a small, stubby snout that altogether made it look very... _not_ threatening. Like the other Byouki, this one was a sickly yellow-green color. It didn't notice them staring at first, but when it stole a glance at them, it froze and blushed again. Then it hastily turned away and began clicking its claws together faster.

Airi leaned towards Kiko with her hand cupped around her mouth. "It turned red when it looked at you..."

"Yeah...and it's apparently the one behind the flowers..."

Penny stuck her head out of Airi's bag, eyes sparkling. "It's like Miss Miyamoto talked about in school, pedi!" she cried. "It's in love with Kiko, pedi~!"

There was a long silence. And then-

 _"Ehhhhhh?!"_

Kiko whirled around to stare at the Byouki again. It stared back, wide-eyed and pink-faced. As she stared, the Byouki looked down to the bedspread again and noticed a daisy had fallen in and landed on it. Slowly, it reached out a claw and gently slid the flower over to Kiko.

"...that's kind of sweet," Airi and Fuuka murmured together.

* * *

 _Eyecatch 1: Airi walks unsteadily between Kiko and Fuuka, balancing Penny atop her head. Suddenly she trips and pitches forward, causing Penny to fall. Fuuka and Kiko each grab one of her upper arms, and Airi holds her hands together to catch Penny. Everyone laughs as the Cure Cure! PreCure logo appears.  
Eyecatch 2: The three Cure Balms appear in mid-air, rotating around each other before flying in different directions. We then see each girl has caught her respective Cure Balm, and opens it up. In flashes of pink, blue, and yellow light, the girls transform into the Cure selves and smile dreamily as they inhale the scent of their balms. The Cure Cure! PreCure logo appears in the corner._

* * *

Later that night, the Byouki found itself alone in Kiko's room. Her friends had gone home by now, and he didn't know where Kiko herself was. But she couldn't be too far, right? And she'd told him to stay put in her room, so surely she'd be back.

He hovered around her room, taking in her decorations, posters and pictures. There were a few posters of idols on the walls, and he spotted two framed photos on her desk. One was of her and the other two girls from earlier. The other showed her standing with a man and an older boy. Maybe they were friends too?

The door opened, catching the Byouki's attention suddenly.

Kiko entered the room, carrying a plate with food on it. "I said I got a lot of homework, okay?" she snapped over her shoulder.

"You sure you don't need help?"

"I'm not an idiot!"

"You're the one who said it, not me."

"Daiki, leave your sister alone..."

Kiko scoffed and shut the door, shaking her head. Then she looked up and caught the Byouki looking at her. "Hey, uh..." She crossed the room to stand in front of it and then sat cross-legged on the floor. The Byouki followed her example, chirruping as it looked between her and the food. "I dunno if you guys eat people-food, but uh...yeah, here you go." She nudged the plate towards it.

As the Byouki sniffed the strange food (it was mostly brown, with tiny white things piled up on the side, and had a bunch of brightly-colored chunks of _something_ mixed with the brown stuff. It smelled kinda spicy), Kiko continued talking.

"You know...I should purify you, but you're not. _Doing_ anything." The Byouki looked up to see her frowning. "And the girls _and_ Penny were looking around town today, and they can't find a single person who's sick like everyone else gets. So..." She tilted her head as the Byouki finally started to pick at her rice. "Maybe you're really harmless?"

The Byouki recoiled, hissing angrily as the rice burned its snout. "Yeah, definitely harmless." She scooted closer, picking up the spoon. "Here, you have to blow on it, see? Like this." Kiko scooped up some rice into her spoon and gently blew on it, then held the spoon for the Byouki to take. "Here."

He stared pink, face turning pink again. As he reached out to gingerly take the spoon from her, his claws brushed against her hand, and he drew back, blushing even fiercer.

Kiko just stared in interest. "You're blushing an awful lot...you do like me, don't you?"

"Byou..." the Byouki murmured, looking away and clicking its claws.

"Well...I gotta say, I never expected a _Byouki_ to like me. I didn't think you guys had the ability to – oh, crap, I'm sorry!" she yelped as the Byouki suddenly started and began whimpering. "Sorry little guy! I didn't mean that!"

"Byoouuuu..."

"Ehm...but y'know...leaving all those gifts without me knowing who you were is kinda weird. And creepy," she added. "If you wanna show me you like me, you gotta do nice things for me, with me _knowing_ about you. And you don't follow me home, got it?"

"Byoouuu..." The Byouki's eyelids curved upwards in a smile.

"I think that's yes."

* * *

Meanwhile at Airi's house, the pink-haired girl sat on the edge of her bed, already in her pajamas. She carefully applied rose-scented oil underneath Penny's wings with a cotton ball. "There we go...Rose is a nice smell, huh?"

"Yup, it sure is, pedi!" Penny cheered, ruffling her feathers a bit. After a moment, though, her expression became contemplative. "Hey, Airi? You think Kiko and the Byouki'll be okay, pedi?"

"Hm?"

"I mean, your teacher kept saying these situations end in tragedy, pedi. Will Kiko be okay?"

"Of course she will!" Airi said with a smile. "The only way a Byouki can go away is if we purify it. And I haven't seen any damage or illness caused by this guy! Maybe it's a 'dud'..." she muttered suddenly, looking at her ceiling. Then she looked back down. "Either way, I think it'll be alright."

"...Kiko doesn't like the Byouki the way it likes her, pedi. Will the Byouki be okay too?"

"Sure! Kiko won't be mean to it if she tells it they're just friends. And you saw how happy the Byouki was just being near Kiko. I think it'll be fine with even being her friend. Love's like that...sure, it's painful when your feelings aren't returned, but as long as they're happy, you're fine with that. Sometimes, just being their friend and being with them is enough."

Across town, Kiko was smiling cheerfully at the Byouki as it used the spoon to eat. She reached out and patted its head, laughing as this gesture caused it to jump and blush again.

"It'll be okay for them."

* * *

"Okay, we gotta be _reeaaaal_ quiet..." Kiko whispered the next morning.

Carefully, she crept down the stairs, the Byouki trailing after her. She glanced around nervously, as if expecting to be jumped any second. But it seemed safe, the whole house was quiet so early in the morning. "Okay," she whispered, turning to look at the Byouki. "If we leave now, we can pick up a breakfast at the convenience store. Dad'll probably think I had to meet Airi and-"

"Kiko?"

 _"Geh!"_ Kiko whirled back around, going ramrod-straight as if she were in military school.

In front of her stood Daiki, his eyes half-open and his appearance disheveled. He wore an apron with one strap falling off the shoulder. "What're you doin' up...?" he mumbled, scratching his head.

"I – I'm going to school, dummy!" Kiko snapped, trying to use anger to mask her panic. "What're _you_ doing up?! And in an apron?!"

"I took covered the night shift at work...they only just let me out, so I'm gonna skip school today." Daiki yawned widely, not even bothering to cover his mouth. "...isn't it too early for school?"

"I'm meeting Airi and Fuuka!"

"Oh. Okay. Cross-check your homework with 'em..." Daiki mumbled, shuffling past Kiko and going upstairs.

"I'm not stupid, big bro!" Kiko called after him. But there was no response. After a moment, she relaxed and looked at the Byouki, who hadn't moved since Daiki had appeared. "Man, he completely didn't notice you...he must be _really_ tired." For a brief second she felt a pang of sympathy for her brother, but shook it off. He was a big guy, he didn't need his little sister to worry about him. "C'mon."

Things were much quieter after that little scare. On her way to school, Kiko made good on her word and stopped for donuts and milk at a convenience store; chocolate doughnut for her and powdered for the Byouki. They didn't run into anyone else Kiko knew on her way to school, and once they reached the school proper...

Kiko paused in front of the gates, then turned to look at the Byouki. "Hey, you can hide like you did yesterday, right?"

"Byou!" the Byouki chirped proudly, clicking its claws. Then before Kiko could say anything more, it darted into the bushes and out of sight.

"Awesome," Kiko laughed.

All throughout the day, the Byouki remained out of sight. But Kiko knew it was there. She didn't have letters on the window or flowers crammed into her desk again, but she had a _feeling_ it was close by. In gym class, during soccer, a daisy was blown into her hair. At lunch...

* * *

"Chouko, over here!" Airi called.

Chouko paused in the doorway, looking back at the girls in confusion.

"You want to eat with us today?"

"Uhm..." Chouko frowned and looked away, biting her lip. After a moment, however, she nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

A short time later, at their spot on the fountain, Kiko said she had a surprise. And then she pulled out...

"How did you manage to get a chocolate bun?!" Fuuka cried, nearly dropping her pizza roll. "Those are always the first things to go!"

Kiko grinned. "Not just ooone~" she sang. Before the girls' eyes, she reached into her bag and pulled out three _more_. "One for each of us! Me, Fuuka, Airi...aaaand Chouko."

Chouko sat next to Airi, looking slightly uncomfortable being out of her usual spot, but said nothing as she accepted the bun.

"I ask again, how did you manage that?" Fuuka asked.

"I have a friend who got it for me." A friend who could fly and sneak into the cafeteria store early. "Hey, c'mon, Chouko, don't be shy, eat up."

Chouko frowned and lifted the chocolate bun to her mouth. After a moment's hesitation, she took a small bite...and then took another, larger bite. Her eyes widened as she chewed and swallowed. "Wow, this is good."

"Isn't it? They make these fresh every day! But they never make enough."

"Byoouuuu..."

All four girls stiffened. Chouko lowered her bun. "Iiis that-"

"SorryIgottagoseeya!" Kiko yelled suddenly, grabbing her bag and running off.

* * *

A few minutes later, Kiko stood at the edge of campus, the Byouki in her arms. "Byouki!" she whispered harshly. "What were you doing, speaking up like that? Someone was going to hear you!"

The Byouki looked up at Kiko pathetically, eyes whining with unshed tears. "Byou..." it warbled, then nudged at her arms. "Byoouuuu..." As Kiko felt her anger melting away, the Byouki rested its head on her shoulder, chirping quietly.

Kiko heard a crinkling sound, and looked down to see the Byouki pull away from her. In its claws was another chocolate bun, still in its wrapper. "You..." Kiko began, frowning lightly. "Wanted...to eat with me?"

The Byouki warbled and nodded its head.

Kiko thought back to the night before. She'd shared her dinner with the Byouki, but...well, the Byouki got all her food, and Kiko herself just went down to get a sandwich later. So that wasn't really 'eating together,' was it? The Byouki wanted to actually _share_ a meal?

With a small sigh, Kiko sat cross-legged and pulled the rest of her chocolate bun out of her bag. "Alright," she said. "But listen, next time you want to eat together, you have to let me know ahead of time, okay? You don't spring this on people at the last second."

The Byouki warbled again, nodding enthusiastically.

"Alright. Welp!" Kiko and Byouki both lifted the breads to their mouths. "Bon appetit!"

The Byouki chewed its own food a little slower than Kiko, watching her eat for a moment. She really liked that chocolate bun, didn't she? Her eyes had lit up and she'd smiled so happily, and she'd sounded so proud when she showed her friends... The Byouki liked making her so happy. It'd get her a chocolate bun every day, just to see that big smile again.

And after that...well, there were lots more ways to make her happy. More flowers for her hair. Eating together. On hot days it could maybe act as her own personal shade...

It smiled, finally digging in with enthusiasm. Yeah. Yeah, the future definitely looked bright for them!

* * *

"Here's more tea, Blight," Poison murmured, setting a teacup full of hot liquid on the nightstand.

Blight made no move to take it, but Poison didn't mind. She knew he'd take some after she left the room. Instead, he asked her a question. "Has there been progress in finding the Healing Flower?"

Poison bit her lower lip. "There has not. But we're persistent, and we know for a fact it's on Earth. I promise, we'll find it."

"See you do," Blight managed to say before he was wracked by a nasty fit of coughing. He gripped the bed sheets, wheezing between coughs like his life depended on it. When it finally passed, he sank bonelessly into the mattress and spoke again in a weaker, raspier voice. "It's the Pretty Cure interfering...I will give you something to aid you in disposing of them soon. Until then, carry on with the plan, stay the course."

Poison bowed deeply. "Yes, Blight."

After school that day, the girls began to head home. Outside the school gates, they waved off Chouko as she walked in the opposite direction from them.

"Where d'you think Chouko lives?" Kiko asked.

The others shrugged.

"Byoouuu~!" chirped the Byouki, flying out of the bushes and tackle-hugging Kiko. The girl stumbled back a few steps but retained her balance, sighing in mock-exasperation.

"Byoukiii..." the Byouki warbled.

"What're you gonna do with it today, pedi?" Penny asked.

"Well, first I have to sneak him past Dad and Daiki again. And then...I dunno, how does a couple rounds of video games sound?" Kiko asked. She grinned as the Byouki began warbling again. "Sounds good?"

High above, the air rippled and Poison appeared. She quickly spotted the girls. "Hm...Fever hasn't disposed of them by now? Oh well." She snapped her fingers, a familiar ball of blackness appearing over her hand. "I'll just try right now. Grant me your livelihood!" Another snap of her fingers, and the ball careened off, hitting a young woman on a bicycle. Overcome by a coughing fit, she couldn't keep steering the bike and fell onto the grass, curled into a ball.

Poison grinned wickedly and snapped her fingers again. "Come out, Byouki!"

The writhing black cockroach flashed with purple light, and...

 **"BYOOUUU!"**

The girls gasped at the familiar sound, the Byouki in Kiko's arms shrank against her in fright, chirping quietly. They turned around, and spotted a Byouki that resembled a bike basket on wheels. Its sickly-yellow color was broken up occasionally by mucus-green stripes, as if to imitate the woven appearance of the basket. Two wheels were on either side of it, and tassels sprang from both sides like pigtails. It revved up and charged towards them, roaring again.

"Byouki, over there!" Kiko yelled, pointing it in one direction. "Behind the garden wall! Go!" she added again when it hesitated. The Byouki gently headbutted her, then flew off to where she'd directed. "Ready, girls?!"

 **"Pretty Cure, Healing Love~!"**

 **"The calming scent of rosewood, Cure Remedy!"  
"The revitalizing taste of lemon balm, Cure Vaccine!"  
"The soothing touch of blue violet, Cure Antidote!" **

**"Healing all ills, healing all hearts!"** The girls all smiled and struck a pose. **"Cure Cure! PreCure!"**

"Byouki, stay back!" Antidote yelled, "Don't get too close!"

The Byouki began to warble something, but it was ignored as Antidote and her friends charged into battle. The Byouki sat back on its haunches, clicking its claws in worry. Antidote was strong, like her friends, and she'd faced monsters before. She'd be fine...

"Triple-Kick!" the trio yelled together, leaping into the air and coming down on the enemy Byouki's face. Or rather, they tried to. Only Antidote, in the center, succeeded, as the other two were batted away like flies by the pigtail tassels.

Remedy and Vaccine hit the ground, but were undeterred. They got up and charged forward again, separating and coming at the monster from both sides. Antidote landed from her kick and delivered a spin-kick to send the Byouki backwards right after the other two girls delivered fierce punches.

Yeah...they had this...it'd be fine...

 **"BYOOOUUU!"** the enemy Byouki roared, suddenly displaying another tactic. The tassels reared up on their own accord, pulling back like snakes. And then two ribbons shot out, one from each of them. Antidote managed to avoid the attack, but Remedy and Vaccine weren't so lucky, finding themselves wrapped up in seconds.

"Remedy! Vaccine!" Antidote cried.

"Don't worry, we'll get ourselves out of this!" Remedy cried as Penny flew in and began to scratch the ribbon with her clawed feet. "Get the Byouki!"

Antidote nodded, her mouth in a thin, determined line. "Right!"

The Byouki watched as she ran towards it, saw the larger Byouki rear its tassels back again... No. No!

"BYOOUUU!" it cried, flying towards the larger Byouki.

"Byouki!" Antidote screamed.

The enemy Byouki, clearly startled by the newcomer, wheeled back a bit, maneuvering its tassels to try and knock it out of the sky instead. The small Byouki kept hovering between the tassels, waiting...calling out to Kiko, as if trying to tell her something.

A ribbon shot out from one tassel, and then the other. The first ribbon got tangled up in the other tassels, tying them in a knot. The other ended up half tangled in the tassel, and half-ensnaring the Byouki. Either way, both were stuck.

"Byou!" the small Byouki cried, looking to Antidote and pointing frantically at the Byouki below it. "BYOOU!"

"...go?" Antidote whispered, eyes wide. "But...but if I do that, you'll-!"

 _"Byoouuu!"_

As Penny finally managed to free her friends, Antidote shut her eyes tightly. _"I'll get you outta there! Just – just wait! **Pretty Cure...Violet Ruuuuuush!** "_

The familiar light surged forward, towards both Byouki. The larger one reacted with the surprise that the others had. The smaller one...just hovered there, quiet.

 _"Byoukiii!"_ Antidote screamed, dropping her hands and racing forward.

"Antidote!" Remedy and Vaccine cried out.

Time seemed to slow down as Antidote ran, faster than her attack, until she pulled ahead of it. With one mighty push, she lifted herself high off the ground until she was over the larger Byouki's head and in front of her own Byouki. Her arms lifted, her hands reached for the smaller Byouki. The light was wrapping around _all three_ of them; the aggressive Byouki, _her_ Byouki, and Antidote herself.

She paid no mind to the vanishing enemy Byouki, instead focusing solely on the littler one. It wasn't writhing like the others normally did, it wasn't in pain...it could be saved!

"Byouki..." Antidote whispered, smiling in relief as she lifted her hands towards it. Her surroundings had disappeared entirely, replaced with a sea of light.

"Byouuu..." her Byouki warbled, looking up at her. Its eyelids curved up again; it was smiling. "Byoouuu..."

Antidote's hand touched the Byouki's forehead...

...and suddenly the Byouki began to glow, finally affected by the attack.

Antidote gasped as the Byouki started to disintegrate into particles of light. "Byouki...Byouki...!" she cried, eyes shiny.

The Byouki just kept smiling, even as its body slowly disappeared. Even when it was barely little more than a head, it closed its eyes and leaned into Antidote's touch, as if to nuzzle her again. Its eyes opened a little, still holding no ill will or negative emotions. It...it was happy. Even with this, it was still happy.

"Byouki!" Antidote sobbed, suddenly wrapping her arms around it and holding it tight.

"Byo..." it murmured softly, like a reassurance. Its eyes closed again, what little was left of it tilted slightly to better receive Antidote's embrace...

And then the light faded, and Antidote was holding thin air. She hovered above the ground for a moment, then slowly drifted back down to earth. Poison hastily retreated, but none of the girls cared.

Vaccine and Remedy slowly approached Antidote, Penny sitting on Remedy's head. Antidote still had her back to them, so they couldn't see her expression. "Antidote?" Vaccine whispered, a gentle hand reaching out for her. "Are...are you okay...?"

Antidote just stood there, motionless. She kept her arms folded over her chest, trying to hold onto the feeling of hugging the Byouki. Her arms and shoulder still felt warm... And her throat felt tight, her eyes stung.

"Antidote, pedi?" Penny asked.

"I..." Antidote whispered.

She slowly turned around, smiling a little, but they could all see the tears in her eyes. "I-I'll...I'll b-be okay..." The girls said nothing, just gazed at her sympathetically as she kept talking. "I'll be fine...i-it d-died happy, I'll be fine..." As she said that, her mouth had started quivering, and she bowed her head again, shoulders shaking. "I'll be fine..." she sobbed quietly.

Her friends didn't say a word as they moved forward and drew her close, bringing her into a group hug. Antidote just cried into her fists, trembling slightly and repeating that it'd be fine.

In the wind, the last few particles of light finally faded out, a tiny _"Byouuu~!"_ in the air.

* * *

ED: "PreCure, Healing Hearts!" - Hitomi Yoshida

* * *

ON THE NEXT EPISODE:

Airi: "Bugs! Bugs everywhere and not the good kind!"

Fuuka: "Eh? What's wrong, Airi?"

Airi: "Th-the poor flowers! Aaaah, what's he _doing_ to them?!"

Kiko: "Ohhhh boy..."

Airi: "Next time on Cure Cure! PreCure: 'I'll Heal Your Flowers! Airi's Resolve!' Be well, everyone!"


	11. Chapter 11

"Good morning, Pii, Chii!" Airi cheered as she watered the flowers outside her window. "And how are you this morning?"

"Do they answer you, pedi?" Penny asked from her seat on Airi's pillow.

"Hmmm, not like people do," Airi said, smiling as the two birds began chirping. "But they do sing a little for me. Are you guys eating my bugs?"

The birds chirped again.

"Thank you~! They really do look lovely today – the flowers, I mean. Thanks for your hard work!" Airi set the watering can back down and shut her window, though she kept the curtains open to see the view outside.

"How long have you had those flowers, Airi, pedi?"

"Hmm...well, these particular ones only started growing in spring. But I've had this garden since I was ten..." A fond smile appeared on her face. "I really like gardens..."

* * *

OP: "Healing Charm" – STAR ANIS

* * *

"Morning, Mom! Morning, Ichijo!" Airi called as she entered the kitchen.

Ichijo was already sitting at the table, so Airi gave him a kiss on the cheek. She turned to do the same to her mother, only to realize her mom wasn't there.

"Eh? Mom's usually right here..."

Ichijo looked up from his parenting magazine. "Oh, someone came to the door a few moments ago. Suzuko's probably still dealing with them." As he looked back on the article about finicky eaters, he frowned. "Hm, dunno who it could be, though. Too early for deliverymen or the mail. And your friends never ring the bell."

"Airi?" Suzuko's voice came from down the hall. "Could you come here a sec?"

"Me?" Airi blinked.

"Man, kid, what'd you do now?" Ichijo joked as Airi left the kitchen.

"Oh, you know, robbed a bank~" Airi said back, then went down the hall to the front door. Her mother was standing there with a young man in overalls. He didn't look familiar to Airi at all. "Who's this?"

Suzuko looked down at Airi. "Airi, this is-"

The young man suddenly bowed. "I-I'm very sorry to spring this on you out of the blue! But my name is Kazuo Shishikura, and I see your garden every day, and..."

* * *

TODAY'S EPISODE: I'll Heal Your Flowers! Airi's Resolve!

* * *

In a small general store, Hana stood looking at some candy. Her brow was furrowed in concentration, one hand palming her chin. "Hmmm..." She let her gaze travel from the chocolate bars to some star-shaped lollipops. "Hm-m-mm..."

Behind her, Azumi sighed and checked her watch. "Hana, I said you could have a candy, but you've been trying to decide for five minutes now. Hurry up and _pick_ one."

"Can I have two?"

 _"No."_

"But I can't pick between the lollipops and the caramel-chocolate..." Hana muttered. She frowned again and turned back to the sweets. "I'll have to think on this a little more."

"Okay, you can have both!" Azumi hastily snapped the candies up with one hand and seized Hana's hand with the other. "Now let's _go,_ Hana."

Partway to the register though, they stopped. Hana's expression broke into a huge smile. "Airi!" she called out, waving.

Airi turned around, eyes widening when she saw her teacher and Hana. "Miss Miyamoto! Hana!" She turned around and bowed briefly. "I promise I'm doing my homework. I just need to pick up something."

That 'something' turned out to be a medium-sized bag of fertilizer.

Azumi pointed at it. "Are you expanding your garden, Honda?"

Airi shook her head. "No, I'm helping someone else. Oh – here's the money!" she suddenly added, turning around and sliding some bills and coins to the cashier. "I don't need the receipt," she said, pulling the fertilizer towards herself. She hefted it up, adjusted her grip, and headed for the door.

"Ah, you need help with that?!" Azumi cried out. "Hang on a second..."

A short time later, Azumi and Hana were walking with Airi down the street. Azumi carried the fertilizer as Hana cheerfully ate her chocolate bar. Airi smiled gratefully up at her teacher. "Thank you, I really appreciate it. The garden's down the street and around the corner."

"So if this isn't for you, what're you getting this for?" Azumi asked.

"Well, one of my neighbors..."

* * *

 _"So you need help with your garden?" Airi asked._

 _The young man nodded, ruffling his dark brown hair with one hand. "I've been trying really hard to make a nice one, but I've been having some trouble..."_

 _"Ohhh, I see. Well, don't worry!" Airi said with a smile. "Just show me the problem and I'll see what I can do!"_

 _The two of them were walking across the road to Kazuo's house, which he explained was one house down and across from Airi's own. After seeing how short a distance it was, Airi had assured her parents she'd be fine checking out the garden, and had brought her phone to be on the safe side._

 _"It's around the corner, right here," Kazuo said, pointing to one corner of the house._

 _"Alright, let me se-?!" Airi shrieked a bit at the end of her sentence, a hand clapped over her mouth._

 _Kazuo rubbed the back of his neck, looking aside. "Y-Yeah, you see why I need help..."_

 _Slugs and insects were crawling all over the flowers, eating the plants. Not that they were getting a decent meal; most of the flowers and leaves had holes in them, were withered and dead, or lying limp on the ground. Flies buzzed above, and although the soil was moist and soft, it clearly wasn't doing any good. All in all..._

 _"Th-this is awful!" Airi couldn't help but cry out, dropping to her knees and gently picking up a red and white flower. "How did this happen?"_

 _"_ _I just – I don't know!" Kazuo said. "I was trying to keep this nice for..." He stopped, and shook his head. "Never mind, can you just...help me?"_

* * *

"I'm sure it's not that ba - _whoa!_ " Azumi cried as the trio reached the garden.

Kazuo looked up at the trio, looking rather dejected. "Hi..." he mumbled. "You guys here to help me, too?"

Airi took the bag of fertilizer and tore it open. Carefully, she scattered a tiny bit of it over the soil. "Okay, I need to take a closer look at the garden and figure out what we should do first. A-And where to start...This will take a while, okay? I can't do it all today-"

"What?!" Kazuo cried in dismay. His head snapped up, eyes watering. "But – but it has to be done as soon as possible! Can't you just – fix this all before tomorrow? And tell me how to keep it nice?"

"With damage like this, of course I can't fix it overnight!" Airi said, a desperate tone in her own voice. "I'm good with flowers but I'm not _that_ good!"

Hana stared sadly at the garden, edging closer to Azumi and holding her sleeve. "Hmm...poor things," she mumbled. "Mom, can I help too?"

"Only if I'm supervising," was Azumi's immediate reply.

Airi smiled a little, a feeling of relief in her heart. "Okay. A little extra help is going to make this easier. I can call the other girls to help us out too, I'm sure they won't mind!" She turned back to Kazuo, noticing how he was forlornly lifting up a drooping flower. _Hmm_?

* * *

Later that evening, after Airi had finished her bath and had brushed out her wavy hair, she sat at her desk and wrote a few things on her stationary. "Hmmm," she mumbled, pausing to tap the pencil to her lips. "I think...oh, and I should try this, too," she added, jotting down one more thing.

Penny hopped over to take a look. "Sugar water, pedi?"

"M-hm. It's good for some types of bugs," Airi said with a small smile. She set her pencil down and picked up Penny, her fingertips scritching the fairy's wings. Smiling even more at Penny's faint trilling, she spoke again. "Penny, do you help with the flowers where you come from?"

"Not really, pedi...I can't carry watering cans too good." She lifted one foot as if to demonstrate. "But I like seeing them! They make me very happy, and the queen liked them too!" The smile on her face slowly faded at the thought of the queen. "I mean...she likes them...when she gets better, she can see them again..."

Airi's expression softened as she stared at Penny. Then she cradled the fairy to her chest, stroking the feathers on her head soothingly. "We'll help her," she whispered over Penny's small sobs. "We'll all help her..."

* * *

 ** _"Hrk - kff-kff-kfff!"_** Toxic fell onto his hands and knees, eyes squeezing shut as he hacked and coughed. Wheezing between coughing attacks, he grabbed at his face mask to pull it off.

"Toxic, don't!" Poison cried, grabbing his wrist. "You'll inhale the bad air and get worse!"

"M-M' mash-k- _kff-kff!_ 's wet-!" he wheezed.

Sure enough, Poison could see some phlegm leaking from the side. "Wait right here, I'll get you another!"

"Hu-hurry!"

A few minutes later, the fit had passed, and Toxic lay on his side, breathing heavily. He wore a clean face mask, the soiled one having been thrown in the incinerator. Poison sat by his side, stroking his hair. "I'll increase the amount of tea you get a day," she whispered. Her free hand curled into a fist, nails digging into her flesh. "Tch...What does Blight expect me to _do?_ I can't take care of him _and_ you _and_ look for the Healing Flower all at once! I've been neglecting you, Toxic, forgive me."

Toxic weakly shook his head. "Nnn. You have to - _kff!_ \- worry about Blight first...once Blight is better, the kingdom will be better too."

"But then I'd just worry about you." Poison sighed, giving Toxic a hug – at least, as best she could, considering their current positions. "Get some rest now. I'll make your favorite tea in the morning, before Fever goes to that funny school of hers."

Toxic declined to say that tomorrow was Sunday, and Fever wouldn't actually be at school. Instead he curled his fingers inward, making loose fists as he contemplated something else. "Okay."

* * *

The next morning, with the sun already high in the sky, Kazuo's yard was bustling with activity.

Airi, Fuuka, and Kiko were all wearing matching work overalls and gardening gloves, Hana and Azumi had stopped by with a bucket of gardening tools and kneeling pads, and...

Chouko's eye twitched faintly. "Why do I have to be here?" she muttered. "I'm not a gardener, I'd probably make it worse on accident..."

"All the more reason for you to be here!" Airi said with a smile. "You can learn, too!"

"I'm really not good with flowers, though..." Yet as she said that, she accepted a kneeling pad from Azumi and joined Hana at the edge of the garden.

"Hey, how'd you convince Chouko to come, anyway?" asked Kiko.

"Eh? I didn't, I thought you invited her!" Airi said.

Hana looked up, beaming. "I invited her!"

Chouko looked away, blushing faintly.

"Mom and me were getting our gardening stuff out, and Chouko came by for our lunch date! She's really good at making tea to go with cookies and sandwiches. Right, Chouko?" Hana turned to the green-haired girl with a broad smile. "She comes over after school, too, usually-"

"Hanaaaa..." Chouko muttered, covering her face.

Airi glanced over at them, noticing Chouko's bag for the first time. It seemed to be wriggling. "Hey, Chouko...did you bring something with you?"

"Hah? Oh, I-"

The flap suddenly lifted open, and Inge popped out, gasping loudly. Ignorant of the stunned expressions of everyone around her, she turned to snarl something at Chouko-

-but Chouko quickly grabbed her and covered her mouth, eyes wide in panic of her own. "Inge!" she said. "My pet rat!"

"Your _pe-?!"_

Chouko pressed her hand harder against Inge's mouth. "She gets upset if I'm gone for too long, so I brought her along for company. She likes Azumi's strawberry sandwiches."

Fuuka held a hand to her mouth in concern. "Should rats be eating those...?" she whispered.

"Since when is Chouko on a first-name basis with the teacher?" Kiko added.

Kazuo looked nervous. "She's not going to eat my plants, is she?"

Inge started flailing in Chouko's arms, muffled shrieks and protests emitting from her. Chouko just shook her head. "She'll be good, promise. Won't you, Inge?" Chouko looked down at Inge with a no-nonsense expression, one that only looked more intimidating by the fact that her face was entirely in shadow. It was enough to make Inge halt her movements and nod, sighing in frustration but ultimately obeying.

Hana just smiled and took her from Chouko's grip, much to the rat fairy's relief. "I'll hold her for a bit! I haven't seen Inge in a long time!"

And finally, with that out of the way, everyone began to work.

On the other end of the garden, Kazuo watched Fuuka pulling weeds. "Can't you just grab them and pull them out?" he asked.

"Actually, no! Weeds go really deep into the soil sometimes, and if you leave the root, it can come back. So you have to dig in and pull the entire thing out." She drove her trowel deeper into the earth with one hand, and tugged hard on the pesky plant with the other. "Like so!" she declared, yanking out a weed about as long as her forearm.

 _"That thing was in her garden?!"_ Kazuo shrieked.

In the middle area, Kiko carefully poured a mixture Airi had bottled up into a small dish. Penny, hiding under Kiko's sunhat, peeked under the brim with interest. "What's that, pedi?" she whispered.

"Don't tell my dad, but it's some of his beer," Kiko whispered.

 _"You shouldn't be drinking that, pedi!"_ Penny shrieked, momentarily catching everyone's attention.

Fuuka turned red and forced a laugh. "I-I'm learning to throw my voice!" she explained.

Once everyone had stopped looking at her, Kiko set the dish down, blushing furiously. "It's not for _me_ , it's for the slugs," she whispered. "It's a trick Airi taught me – you see, you put some beer in a little dish and leave it in the garden. The slugs smell it and come over because they think it smells like food. Then they fall into the dish and drown."

"Ohhh..."

Kazuo sat back on his haunches, wiping his forehead with his arm. "Thanks, everyone...You're really saving me here."

Airi smiled as she surveyed the garden. The flowers still had a ways to go, but the bad bugs were starting to be picked off, and the weeds were slowly but surely being removed. All that work was making the soil even softer, too. "I think this'll be faster and easier than I thought," she told Kazuo.

Kazuo sighed, a smile on his face. "Good...Hinako would kill me if-" He stopped, words choking in his throat.

Airi tilted her head. "Hinako?"

"Just...can we get this done and normal in the next three days?"

"Well I don't know about normal but...we can make it presentable again."

Another relieved smile. "Thanks, Honda..."

Meanwhile, Hana was looking up at Chouko as she helped her prune some of the plants. "You're doing great, big sis! You're sure you've never done this before?"

Chouko shook her head lightly. "Never. There aren't any flowers where I'm from." She looked over in time to see Hana's stricken expression. "I don't mind much. I'm used to it."

"It sounds awful, though...I could never be away from flowers!" Hana murmured, poking at a daisy. "Flowers make people happy, and they make the world beautiful...d'you know that's why Mom named me that? Because I'm like her little flower, too, beautiful and I make her happy." She smiled. "I'm glad I have that name. It just makes me like flowers even more. How 'bout you?"

"Me?"

"Do you and Inge like flowers, now that you've seen them?"

"Hmmm..." Chouko thought for a few moments. She remembered when she and Inge had first arrived on Earth, to this town. She'd been briefly taken aback by the floral sea before her, overwhelmed by the scents in the air. Inge had sneezed at first, but she recovered quickly enough... She had to admit she felt a little disappointed whenever she left to go back to her home in that dark, damp castle, but was it enough to tell she _liked_ these flowers?

"They're alright," she admitted at last, making Hana smile.

* * *

 _Eyecatch 1: Airi walks unsteadily between Kiko and Fuuka, balancing Penny atop her head. Suddenly she trips and pitches forward, causing Penny to fall. Fuuka and Kiko each grab one of her upper arms, and Airi holds her hands together to catch Penny. Everyone laughs as the Cure Cure! PreCure logo appears.  
Eyecatch 2: The three Cure Balms appear in mid-air, rotating around each other before flying in different directions. We then see each girl has caught her respective Cure Balm, and opens it up. In flashes of pink, blue, and yellow light, the girls transform into the Cure selves and smile dreamily as they inhale the scent of their balms. The Cure Cure! PreCure logo appears in the corner._

* * *

Over the next few days, everyone met in the garden whenever they could. It wasn't always all of them at once, but Azumi and Hana would stop by after school hours sometimes to replace the dish of beer, Fuuka would stop by in the early evenings to pull some weeds. One day she brought her grandmother along, who slipped Kazuo a few handwritten notes on organic weedkillers. Airi would go to help Kazuo water the flowers, and Kiko once tossed down some brightly-colored tinsel. "Keeps birds away," she explained. One day, Hana appeared again, with Chouko in tow, cheerfully offering to pull the dead, withered petals and leaves off the flowers so they could make newer, healthy ones.

Before the deadline was up, the garden was starting to look presentable again. Not perfect, and not completely restored, but presentable enough. And one look was enough to tell that the flowers would all be okay.

* * *

Poison walked down the hall, balancing a cup of tea in her hand. Her footsteps echoed in the hall around her, which would have unnerved anyone who wasn't used to it. Using her hip, she pushed open the door to the rec room, inwardly sighing in relief at the colorful, warmer environment. "Toxic!" she called out. "I've got your-"

The teacup fell, spilling its contents to the floor.

Toxic wasn't there.

* * *

Airi came around the corner of the yard with a broad smile on her face. "Hello, Kazuo! I've brought- Kazuo!" Airi dropped her bucket of fertilizer and ran over to him.

The man was spraying something on his plants, something that she'd heard Kaede mention in passing. She could smell it even from the edge of the yard; vinegar. And Kazuo was practically drowning the plants in it. "Kazuo, what're you doing?! Stop that!" Airi grabbed his arm to pull it back, but Kazuo pushed back, still spraying.

"You don't get it! I get a call this morning – I have to fix this _now_ , I have to-"

 _"But you're gonna kill the plants!"_ Airi cried.

That made Kazuo stop, staring at the garden with tears in his eyes as he lowered the bottle.

At the edge of the yard stood Hana and Chouko, Inge perched on Chouko's shoulder. Hana was carrying a small netted bag, her eyes wide and tearful as she stared at the flowers. Even from where she and Chouko stood, she could see the liquid dripping off the leaves and petals. Vinegar could be good for gardens if used right, yes, but something like this would turn them all brown and make them die. She sniffled, blinking back more tears. "The flowers..."

"I was walking her over so she could bring you some ladybugs," Chouko explained weakly as they came forward. She watched as Hana dropped to her knees, gingerly caressing a daisy like it was a sick kitten. "What's going on?"

Kazuo drew in a deep, shuddering breath. "This garden...I m-made it for Hinako. My girlfriend."

Chouko and Airi sat down on either side of Kazuo. As Chouko glanced around to find the watering can to wash the flowers, Airi echoed "Girlfriend?"

"We...we grew up together in this town. But then her dad got a job in the city when we were in high school, and she had to move. She didn't want to go, though – I remember her crying and saying she'd miss me. I told her we'd email each other and call and everything.

"The first email I got from her ended with a note that there weren't many flowers in the city. Too much metal and cement. It really hammered in for her how far from 'home,' she actually was. Every other time we talked, she'd mention something about it. I finally asked why the flowers were such a big deal and she said...she said her favorite memories were of us playing in them together, or planting the big red ones in school, and every time she'd see flowers she just remembered all the good old days we shared. But she couldn't now.

"We finally have the money for her to live with me, since we both graduated school. She's going to get a job here, and we'll live together, and...I just wanted her to have her very own garden, I wanted it to be a surprise for her. Like my way of saying 'You're really home.' But... But you saw how it was. I couldn't make anything grow.

"You guys all came and I thought 'Now it'll be okay!' But then she called and said her plane was earlier than expected so she'll be here today, not tomorrow and the garden isn't perfect yet and-"

Airi's hand touched his shoulder.

Kazuo stopped mid-rant, sniffing and wiping his nose with the back of his hand before he looked at Airi.

The pink-haired girl was smiling gently. "It's okay," she said simply. "You know, I bet Hinako doesn't care about the flowers, or if they're perfect. She cares about seeing _you_. The garden is a nice gesture, but it doesn't have to be perfect, okay? All that matters was you cared enough to do this for her. So don't worry..."

Chouko didn't take her gaze away from Hana. "We can fix this, though, right?" she mumbled.

"Kazuo?" Airi asked.

Kazuo sat for a few moments, then nodded, sniffing again. "Y-Yeah..."

Above them, high in the air, Toxic appeared. He pressed his mask closer to his face as he glanced around, finally spotting Airi. "Just the one today?" he mumbled. "That's fine..." He snapped his fingers...

And below, Inge suddenly stiffened. She patted Chouko with her paw, whispering her name so only she could hear. Chouko glanced up as inconspicuously as she could, then looked back to Hana. Airi was a Pretty Cure and therefore a threat, but Hana...

"Hana, let's go get something to drink. I'll buy you a soda from the corner store," Chouko said, ushering Hana to her feet.

"Ehhh? But it's early! Mom won't like it!"

"Your mom doesn't have to know," Inge snickered in Hana's ear.

Airi just waved them off as she and Kazuo washed off the flowers. "Bring me one, please!"

Up above, a black sphere hovered above Toxic's hands. Once his teammates and their friend were out of sight, he spoke. "Grant me - _kff_! - your livelihood!" The sphere hurtled downwards, embedding itself into Kazuo's back.

Kazuo pitched forward, coughing and wheezing. Airi gasped and held his shoulders, shaking him slightly. "Kazuo?!"

"Come out, Byouki!"

There was a burst of black light, and Kazuo fell on his side, unconscious but still coughing and wheezing. In the spacious yard, a Byouki stood, resembling a huge watering can. It had long arms and legs sprouting from its body, which resembled twisting, rotted plant stalks. "BYOOUUU!" it shrieked.

"A Byouki!" gasped Airi. She looked a little to the side and spotted the one who'd summoned it. "Toxic!"

Toxic glared down at her, covering his mouth with one hand. "I may be sick - _kff!_ \- but I c-can be useful to _\- kff! kff!_ – Blight and Poison! Byouki! Destroy the - _kff!_ \- garden and then the girl!"

"No, you don't!" Airi yelled. "Kazuo's worked hard on this, so you won't wreck it! **Pretty Cure! Healing Love~! The calming scent of rosewood, Cure Remedy!"**

"Hyaaaah!" Remedy kicked herself off the ground and delivered a fierce sweeping kick to the Byouki's front.

It flew to the side a few feet, but one of its plant-like appendages took root in the ground and held fast. Regaining its footing, the Byouki swung its body back towards Remedy-

-and send a spray of filthy, foul-smelling water over the garden and lawn. Anything the droplets hit began to wither fast, the grass turning a dead brown color.

Remedy, who had jumped backwards and out of the line of fire, gasped in horror. "The flowers-!" she cried.

She didn't have much time to keep being shocked, as the Byouki slammed another appendage down to root – straight into the garden itself. The roots from its foot dug down deep, uprooting and disturbing some of the flowers, knocking them over and killing them. It then swung itself again, this time towards her. "BYOOUUU!"

Remedy shrieked in horror and leaped backwards again, into the street. "Stop it!" she yelled. "Why are you doing this?!"

"This? Fighting you?" Toxic asked. After a small cough, he said "It's obvious. You're in the way."

"But why are you hurting the flowers, too?! They did nothing to you!"

"Flowers are collateral damage. Why should I care if something – anything at all – is harmed as long as I have my way?" Toxic asked. "Byouki, water her!"

"BYOOUU!" the Byouki bore down and started swinging itself again, sending a torrent of water down onto the street. It fell like a downpour, but Remedy kept jumping higher, out of the line of fire, a little down the street... But she stayed in the street. The water had no effect on cement, and she couldn't let it hurt...

"We worked hard on that garden! Kazuo and all the rest of us! You can't kill flowers, and you can't wreck someone else's hard work!"

"Why do you even care so much?" Toxic asked, sounding genuinely curious.

"BYOU?!" the Byouki seemed to agree.

"Because...because that garden isn't just flowers!" Remedy yelled, still dodging the disgusting water. "It's our memories! It's the happy days we spent working together! It's all of our hard work, our friendship, our love – we all enjoyed this garden, we all had fun making it, just as I'm sure Kazuo and Hinako will have fun cultivating it together from now on! And I won't let you wreck it!" she screamed.

The downpour stopped suddenly. The Byouki blinked in dismay, shook itself a little more...but nothing happened. "B-BYOU?!"

Remedy's lips curved into an uncharacteristic smirk. "And _you're_ empty!" she said. ****"Pretty Cure Rose Pulse!"****

The Byouki was surrounded in the purifying pink light, and soon exploded, much like the others before it. Before Remedy's eyes, the damage it caused reversed itself, the garden looking just as it did before the Byouki appeared – not perfect, but still good.

Before anything else could happen, the air rippled and Poison appeared. "Toxic!" she cried.

Toxic whirled around, eyes wide. "Poiso-"

"Toxic, come home _immediately_! You're terribly sick, you shouldn't be out!"

"But I can help! I can be of use! I can-" Toxic, getting overworked, suddenly started to have another coughing fit, agitated by his own emotions and fast speech.

Remedy's eyes widened. So it was true...Toxic _was_ sick, he needed help. "Wait!" she called. "Let me-!"

Poison, her arms around Toxic's shoulders, glared at Remedy with a look that could impale a man. _"You stay away from him! We know what you do to Byouki, who knows what it'd do to him?!_ " she cried, and then they were both gone.

* * *

Later, as the sun was setting, Airi set down the watering can and wiped her brow. "Well, I think that's done!"

Chouko, crunching her soda can in her hand, nodded nonchalantly. "Mmm..."

"Big sis, don't be like that! Look how pretty we made it!"

"I just..."

Kazuo sniffed, a watery smile on his face. "I can't thank you all enough..." he mumbled, wiping his eyes with his fore-arm. "H-hey, you'll tell the others I said 'thanks,' right?"

"Of course we will! Just-" Whatever Airi was about to say was interrupted when a cab pulled up.

"That's Hinako!" Kazuo cried, straightening.

Chouko, Airi, Inge, and Hana exchanged excited, and nervous, glances. Airi quickly picked up her back and ran for the road. "W-Well, this is a private thing, so-"

"Wait, Airi!" Kazuo said. "You helped me, so...so you girls should stick around for a few moments? Okay? Please?"

Before anyone could answer, the cab door opened, and a pretty blonde lady came out. She adjusted her purse strap, shut the door behind her...and fixed her brilliant blue eyes on Kazuo. Immediately, her expression softened into an affectionate smile. "Kazuo..."

"Hinako..."

"Kazuo!" Hinako cried, running forward and jumping into his arms. "I'm so glad to see you – I've missed you, I've missed this town – I missed everything so much-!"

"Hinako! Hinako, look, you have a garden now! Just like you wanted in the city but you couldn't!" Kazuo stood to the side to point at the plot of land they'd all worked on. Nearby, the girls stood in a row, unable to keep from smiling at the sight. "I-It's not perfect, I messed it up a lot, but some of our neighbors helped out so it looks nice for you – Well, I hope it's nice, I mean-"

His rambling was cut off when Hinako placed a fingertip to his lips. "Kazuo...it doesn't have to be perfect, as long as it was from you. And now the two of us can _make_ it perfect."

As the couple hugged tightly, the girls took that as their cue to go. Airi couldn't help giggling a bit behind her hand – hadn't that been what she'd said earlier? Penny seemed to have the same idea, laughing quietly from Airi's bag.

"You think they'll be okay?" Penny whispered.

"Who? Kazuo and Hinako? Of course!"

"What about the flowers?"

Airi smiled, looking over her shoulder at the happy couple. "With all that love? The flowers will be flourishing and perfect in no time!"

In Kazuo's garden, one daisy stood strong and tall, its petals like new.

* * *

ED: "PreCure, Healing Hearts!" - Hitomi Yoshida

* * *

ON THE NEXT EPISODE:

Kiko: "We've been chosen to put on a play for the kindergartners! Awesome!"

Airi: "What're we going to perform? A fairy tale?"

Fuuka: "You can never go wrong with Cinderella! O-or perhaps you can...or I can?! Next time on Cure Cure! PreCure: 'The Not-Wicked Stepsister! Poor Fuuka!' Be well, everyone!"


	12. Chapter 12

There was a loud clattering noise as a blonde girl with pigtails was shoved to the floor. All was quiet after that, save for the girl's faint sobs as she lay on the floor, hands over her face.

All eyes were on the girl who shoved her: Fuuka.

She stood over her, hands on her hips and glowering. "Oh, fine, go ahead and cry, it's the only way that dirty face of yours will ever get clean!" She glared at her victim for a second longer, tapping her foot in irritation. "You're completely filthy, every bit of you is! Of course you can't...o-of course..y-you can't..."

Fuuka's glare wavered for a few seconds before she suddenly burst into tears and dropped to the floor. Sobbing, she threw her arms around her classmates's shoulders, surprising the other girl. "I'm so sorry, Kinomoto! Please don't cry, you're not dirty – you're really clean and your uniform is spotless! You don't have to clean anything either, I'll do it myself! A-And I'll take over your cleaning duty next time you're assigned, a-and I'm s-sorry for y-yelling at you, a-and-"

"Cuuuuut..." groaned one of their classmates, running a hand through his messy black hair. "Mori, you're supposed to be the _wicked_ stepsister, not the _wimpy_ stepsister."

Fuuka sniffled, her brown eyes swimming with tears. "I-I'm not wimpy..."

"Of course you're not, Mori," Arisa Kinomoto sighed, an exasperated but affectionate smile on her face. She patted Fuuka's head and added "You're just too kind for your own good, that's all. Mori, we all know it's just a play, you don't have to feel guilty."

"I know, I _know_ it's just a play, b-but-" Fuuka sobbed and wiped her eyes. "I j-just f-feel so _bad_!"

On the sidelines, Airi, Kiko, and Chouko stood in a row, wearing identical looks of exasperation. This was going to be a long rehearsal...

* * *

OP: "Healing Charm" – STAR ANIS

* * *

"Seriously, Fuuka..." Kiko grumbled as she offered the other girl a tissue. Grimacing as Fuuka blew her nose loudly, she added "It's just a play, everyone knows it's not real. Kinomoto's not going to get upset."

"B-Bu-But _I_ am!"

Chouko sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. _How did this mess even start?_

Well, of course she knew...

 _Azumi brought out a clear, plastic bowl and began rifling through the folded-up papers. "Alright, Cinderella will beee...Arisa Kinomoto."_

 _Arisa beamed and clapped her hands together, blue eyes sparkling as one of her classmates patted her on the back._

 _Chouko leaned forward in her seat and poked Kiko in the back with her pencil. "What's going on again?" she whispered._

 _Fuuka was the one who answered. "We're drawing for the kindergarten play. Every month, one of the middle school classes puts on a performance for Hanaoka Kindergarten, and this month it's our turn."_

 _"Ohhh..." Chouko mumbled. "That sounds kind of fun... But don't you guys do auditions or anything like that?"_

 _Fuuka shook her head."If it were a huge deal, or the yearly Drama Club show, we would, but this is just a small thing for the little kids. It probably won't go on longer than ten minutes, and there's no singing or anything else of the sort, so just drawing names is fine."_

 _"Oh...so is my name in there, too?"_

 _"Sure! But you might not get drawn-"_

 _"Wicked Stepsister iiiis Fuuka Mori."_

 _Fuuka and Chouko froze as time seemed to stand still for a second. Then, slowly, Fuuka turned back to stare at Azumi._

 _Chouko was the first to break the silence that descended over their small cluster of desks. **"What."**_

And this was already shaping to be a bad idea.

* * *

TODAY'S EPISODE: **The Not-Wicked Stepsister! Poor Fuuka!**

* * *

"So Fuuka's gotta be _mean_ , pedi?"

Kiko and Airi nodded together. "Yup," they said.

The girls were at Kiko's house after school, Fuuka standing in the middle of Kiko's room as the other two sat on the edge of her bed. Fuuka sighed, shoulders slumping. "Why do I have to be the wicked stepsister?" she moaned. "I can't be mean, it's not _me!_ Especially when Kinomoto is involved. She's too nice, too sweet, how can anyone be mean to her?! Did you see her this morning – helping the teacher's aid carry papers to the lounge? Or how she volunteered to help the lunch ladies? How can I be mean to someone like that?!"

"Okay, seriously, Fuuka," Kiko said, waving one hand at her. "Practice makes perfect! Try it again, and this time pretend you're talking to someone you _really_ don't like!"

Fuuka just stared. "But if _I_ don't like someone, I just ignore them..."

As Kiko groaned and covered her forehead, Airi smiled weakly. "You know what she means, Fuuka...Come on, give it a shot. Just don't see us as your friends, and don't think of yourself as Fuuka, okay? You're the wicked stepsister and I'm Cinderella."

"O-Okay...I'll try..." Fuuka squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. "Ready!"

"Can I go to the ball?" Airi said with a timid smile.

Fuuka drew in a deep breath. "Absolutely not! You're way too dirty to go, and even if you did, why would anyone want to associate with an u-ugly...c-common...l-low-liii... _I'm so sorry, of course you can come to the ball, let me get you something nice to wear!"_ Fuuka cried, rushing towards Airi and clasping her hands, her gaze tearful.

"Booooo..." came a new voice. The girls all looked up to see Daiki leaning in the doorway, one hand lazily cupped around his mouth. "Get her off the stage."

" _Daiki_!" Kiko snapped, glaring at him. "Get out of my room!"

" _You_ left your door open, you big dummy," Daiki muttered, cleaning out his ear.

Kiko seethed for another second, then blinked as if she had a sudden epiphany. "Hey, hey, wait a second, try Daiki!" she cried.

"What?" came the collective chorus.

"Hey, what are you – don't grab me like that – okay, now I _have_ to be in your room, you're _dragging_ me in!" Daiki snapped as Kiko pulled him towards Fuuka, one hand clamped around his wrist.

"Maybe the problem is," Kiko began, face flushed with excitement. "That we're too nice for you to even pretend to be mean to! So why don't you try it with a jerk?!"

Fuuka looked hesitant. "Er, Kiko, I don't think-"

Daiki shot his sister a look. "Yeah, that's totally-"

"Just try it, Fuuka! Daiki, shut up," Kiko added.

Daiki sighed long-sufferingly and stared at Fuuka with a bored expression. Fuuka looked back nervously, fidgeting with her hands at chest-level. After a moment, and a nudge to the ribs from Kiko, Daiki sighed and said "May I go to the ball, stepsister-dear?" in an exaggerated falsetto, clasping his hands under his chin.

Fuuka just stared as Kiko nudged him again. "Uh-Uhm...N-No, you most certainly..." She began to crumple as Daiki's expression didn't change. "Y-You most...U-Uhm..." Her eyes began to water as she shrunk under Daiki's half-lidded gaze. "You m-m-moooo - _Waaaaaugh_ , I can't _do_ this!" she suddenly wailed. Fuuka bowed her head and covered her face, on the verge of crying.

Everyone sighed. Back to square one, then...not like they'd left that to begin with.

* * *

Toxic was lying curled up on the floor again, drifting off to sleep. Poison sat by his side, watching the TV while idly stroking his hair. A movement caught her eye and she turned, spotting Fever in the doorway. "Welcome back," she said simply.

"Thank you." Fever opened her back, allowing Inge to run out and sit on her shoulder.

"So how was today?"

"Pretty boring, mostly!" Inge said before Fever could stop her. "The only interesting thing was learning the class was gonna do a play."

"Inge..."

Poison just stared. Though her eyes were obscured, Fever could guess that they were half-lidded in exasperation. "No, not that. I mean in finding the Healing Flower, or gathering information on Pretty Cure. Remember?"

Fever blinked, exchanging a glance with Inge. "Well..."

"You have been working on that, right?"

"I haven't found any leads on the Healing Flower, but I _have_ been spending my lunches with Pretty Cure-"

"And what have you learned?"

"Fuuka's going to be in the play—" Fever cut herself off as she felt Poison's stare intensify. "And...Airi enjoys gardening, and Kiko likes chocolate bread," she finished lamely.

"And what _else_? Besides their first names?" Poison asked.

"Er – I've been a bit busy with the actual schoolwork, and-"

"Fever," Poison's voice was even. "I understand it's difficult to not be around other people your age. I know it's hard being one of the only children left...I know you're hungry for more social interaction. But our _first_ priority is the Healing Flower, and the removal of Pretty Cure. Or did you forget about that?"

As if on cue, Toxic coughed a little in his sleep. The sound made Fever clench her jaw, eyes steely.

"I did not forget."

"When was the last time you made a Byouki?"

"I made one a few weeks ago, before school, and-"

"You need to try harder. Make another one. I've been doing most of the work around here, and I can't shoulder _your_ work on top of my own, _and_ take care of Toxic _and_ look after Blight-"

"Hey!" Inge yelled, fur bristling as she bared her teeth at Poison. "Fever an' I are working so freaking hard! I made a Byouki myself too! Yeah, fine, it didn't go so good, but we're both trying! So why don't you just back off and-"

Fever reached up and wrapped her hand around Inge's snout, cutting her off. Inge didn't seem to care though, and muffled noises of anger could still be heard as Fever spoke over her. "I didn't forget. I understand – I'll make a Byouki again as soon as I can."

"Thank you, Fever. I don't like yelling at you," - never mind that it wasn't actually yelling - "so I'm glad we could come to an agreement quickly. Now, how about we end the day with some television and tea?"

"Yes, Poison," Fever sighed.

 _I'll make another Byouki...eventually._

* * *

For the next two days, Fuuka continued to practice. She got a brief sense of déjà vu at some point, but shook it off and tried her best to act mean.

It didn't go so well.

 _Attempt One:_

During lunchtime-practice on Chouko, she found Chouko staring at her in much the same way Daiki had. Once again she burst into tears.

 _Attempt Two:_

During after-school rehearsals, she pushed Arisa to the ground...and then immediately got down to help her up, babbling apologies and asking if she'd hurt herself at all. And then she started crying when she spotted a tiny bruise on Arisa's leg.

 _Attempts Three and Four:_

Both times Fuuka ended up psyching herself out before she could even speak one line, and all she could do was open and close her mouth like a fish, looking close to tears. Arisa's gentle smile on Attempt Four only made matters worse, as Fuuka started crying and apologizing for "messing up the scene."

 _Attempt Five:_

The next afternoon, at Airi's house, she finally managed to raise her voice and not apologize for it.

"Of course you can't! You're much too filthy to be seen!" she yelled. Her voice was shaky and she still looked ready to cry, but she still spoke the line to the end.

Airi fake-sniffed, but gave Fuuka the thumbs-up. "You're doing great, keep going!" she whispered.

Fuuka smiled proudly – but while she was shouting her lines, it looked like a cruel smirk, which only helped the illusion – and continued. "Why would he ever like someone like you?! You're stupid, you're good-for-nothing, you deserve to be nothing more than-"

Suddenly Airi's door burst open, and Suzuko ran in, looking distressed. "Girls!" she cried.

"M-Mom?!" Airi squeaked.

"Girls, please, whatever it is you're fighting about, it's not worth ruining your friendship! You can talk things out, just don't let it end like this!"

That time Fuuka really did start crying.

* * *

 _Eyecatch 1: Airi walks unsteadily between Kiko and Fuuka, balancing Penny atop her head. Suddenly she trips and pitches forward, causing Penny to fall. Fuuka and Kiko each grab one of her upper arms, and Airi holds her hands together to catch Penny. Everyone laughs as the Cure Cure! PreCure logo appears.  
Eyecatch 2: The three Cure Balms appear in mid-air, rotating around each other before flying in different directions. We then see each girl has caught her respective Cure Balm, and opens it up. In flashes of pink, blue, and yellow light, the girls transform into the Cure selves and smile dreamily as they inhale the scent of their balms. The Cure Cure! PreCure logo appears in the corner._

* * *

That evening, Fuuka was quiet as she carefully chopped carrots for curry rice. Her gaze was heavy-lidded and downcast, her movements slow and sluggish. The only time she spoke was when her mother called Kaede's kitchen phone to ask Fuuka to put some leftovers in the fridge for her.

And of course, Kaede noticed.

"Thank you, dear," the old woman said, smiling softly as Fuuka pushed her food tray over her lap.

"Do you want to watch TV?" Fuuka asked.

"Oh no, thank you, dear, my stories won't be on for another half-hour or so," Kaede said, taking a spoonful of rice and blowing on it. "Unless there's something _you_ would like to watch?"

"Hm-m," Fuuka shook her head as she took her seat. She sat in the recliner next to her grandmother, a matching food tray over her own lap. It was the way they often ate together, in the living room with the television. A bit unconventional – at least it was in Fuuka's mind – but rather comforting.

Grandmother and granddaughter ate in silence for a few moments before Kaede spoke. "Something is troubling you, dear."

"Eh?! Oh, no, Grandma, I'm fi-"

"Dear, my eyes may be going but I can still see my family. And right now, my family is upset. What's troubling you, Fuuka, dear?"

Fuuka hesitated for a moment, biting her lip as she lowered her spoon to her plate. Then, with another glance at Kaede's smiling face, she sighed and spilled the whole story.

"And I just...I can't be mean. I don't want to be mean. I know it's only pretend, but I just can't bring myself to do it. Arisa's too nice, and it's just not _in_ me to do that..."

Kaede was quiet for a moment. "Do you _have_ to be the stepsister?"

"Of course, Grandma, my name was drawn for it."

"No, dear, that's not quite what I...hm. Fuuka, do you want to hear a story?"

Fuuka blinked. "What kind of story?"

"When I was a little girl, about your age, I had to be in a play, too. I was a princess who was rescued by a brave young man and married him. I did love being the princess, though," she said, a far-off, dreamy look in her eyes. "I had the prettiest white costume, my hair was piled on my head and my mother gave me some lovely cherry blossom decorations when the school didn't have the funds for a fancy crown or comb...Ah, I'm sorry, I'm getting a bit distracted.

"Now, at one part of the play, I had to stab the ogre holding me hostage. And I didn't want to do it. I knew it was all make-believe, I knew it was just a paper knife, but I hated the idea of making such a motion at one of my dear classmates. Every time I had to do that, I felt so upset... And do you know what I did?"

"What?"

Kaede smiled and put her hand on Fuuka's head. "I told the teacher how uncomfortable I was with it, and I wasn't going to pretend-stab one of my friends. I knew the play called for it, but I didn't want to do it.

"And he told me that if I felt so uncomfortable, I didn't have to. We'd find something else for me to do." She chuckled, a nostalgic look on her face. "And so instead I hit the ogre over the head with my fan. Oh, that was such a funny rehearsal, poor Kido didn't see it coming... Ah, do you understand what I'm saying, Fuuka, dear?"

Fuuka just nodded. "I guess," she mumbled. "But what if I let someone down?"

"Your own feelings are most important, in a situation like this. Now," Kaede removed her hand and leaned back in her chair. "I think our dinner's getting a little cold. Let's hurry and eat up, yes?"

"Hm, Grandma?"

"Yes, dear?"

Fuuka smiled. "Thank you..."

* * *

The next day at lunch, Fuuka was still thinking about what her grandmother had said. She said nothing as she ate her meal, despite the looks her friends were giving her.

"Fuuka, you okay?" asked Airi.

"Hm? Oh. Uhm, yes, I'm fine, I just-" Fuuka blinked and spotted Arisa walking into the building. "Hey, can you girls excuse me a second?"

"Sure but-"

"Thank you!" Fuuka called, already running towards Arisa.

Chouko set down her juice box. "I need to use the washroom," she said, getting up and leaving too.

* * *

"Kinomoto! Kinomoto!"

Arisa stopped outside the double doors leading to the gym, turning around and smiling at Fuuka. "Oh, hello, Mori! I'm just checking on something for the basketball team. What do you need?"

"U-Uhm...listen..." Fuuka began as she and Arisa walked into the gym together. "You wouldn't, uhm..." She fidgeted as Arisa began counting the basketballs. "I-If...If I were to not be the stepsister...would you be disappointed?"

"Not at all."

The answer came so quickly that Fuuka was taken aback. She stared blankly at Arisa as the latter straightened and nodded in satisfaction. "Yes, that's the right amount... Ah, don't misunderstand, please, Mori!" she said, seeing the look on Fuuka's face. "It's not because I don't like you or anything! You're trying your best, I know it. It's more like...hm...If you were to drop out of the play, for any reason, I'd understand. Completely. I might be a teensy bit sad because you're so nice and it'd suck to see you not perform with me, but it'd still be alright. Why do you ask?"

Fuuka exhaled, shoulders slumping. "So if I were to say no, no one would be disappointed or let down?"

"I don't think so!"

"Hm..."

Unseen, leaning against the wall on the other side of the doors, Chouko stood with her bag and Inge inside it. She just stood there, breathing steady.

Inge poked her head out. "What'sa matter?"

"I just..." Chouko sighed. "Never mind. Let's just get it over with." She snapped her fingers and the black sphere appeared above her hand. "Grant me your livelihood!" she intoned, snapping her fingers again.

The ball floated away at top speed, sailing into the gym and striking Arisa in the back.

* * *

Arisa sneezed loudly, then two more times. "O-Oh dear, I think it's allerg-" she managed to say before coughing loudly, doubling over.

"Kinomoto!" Fuuka cried, realizing immediately what was wrong. "Kinomoto, you should get to the nurse!" she added. She had to get Arisa out of the gym, now! If the Byouki appeared while she was in here, and with Fuuka untransformed...

"I thi-think you're right...E-Excuse me..." Arisa coughed louder and clutched her chest as she turned and made for the doors. Fuuka could see the writhing black cockroach pop out from between Arisa's shoulder blades and rise into the air. Strangely enough, it wasn't until Arisa was gone and the doors closed that it flashed once, and a Byouki appeared where the cockroach had been.

"BYOUUU!" it shrieked. This one was the same color as all the rest, but it was shaped like a-

"...glass slipper?" Fuuka murmured.

"BYOOUUU!" the Byouki shrieked, swiping at Fuuka with claws that looked like glass shards.

Fuuka shrieked and leaped out of the way, reaching into her pocket for her Cure Balm as she landed. "R-Right then!

 **"Pretty Cure, Healing Love~! The revitalizing taste of lemon balm, Cure Vaccine!"**

"BYOUU!" Before Vaccine could attack, the Byouki flung its arms out. Vaccine shrieked as a shower of giant shards of glass appeared from above, falling in front of her to form a wall.

"Wh-what the-?!" she gasped.

 _"You want to win?"_ came an odd voice. It wasn't heard out loud, but rather in Vaccine's head. It was low, guttural, and sounded...

...it sounded like the Byouki.

Vaccine's eyes widened further. What did that _mean_?

 _"Punch the glass."_

"Wh-what?!" Vaccine gasped. She took a few steps backwards, glancing around for a way around the barrier. But the Byouki was faster and, with a cackle that sounded more like a cough, it threw its arms out again and summoned another row of glass.

The glass hit behind the first row and in front of Vaccine, forcing her back again.

"What are you doing?!" she demanded, face reddening slightly.

 _"Punch the glass if you want out! Punch the glass, kick it! Shatter it, even if you get hurt!"_

Standing outside the closed doors, Chouko held Inge in her arms. Both of them were silent as they listened to the goings-on inside.

Vaccine yelped as more glass was thrown down, slowly backing her into the wall. Eventually, there'd be no way out.

 _"You'll get hurt, you'll be torn to ribbons!"_ the Byouki's voice echoed in her head. _"But who cares?! You **have** to!"_

Vaccine grit her teeth.

 _"You have to!"_

"Nnnn..."

She remembered Kaede's warm hand on her head. Her gentle smile as she told her story.

 _"You have to, you have to, you have no choice!"_ The glass slipper Byouki sent down a final wall of glass shards, leaving only a foot of space between Vaccine and the wall.

"I..."

 _-have t-"_

"-Do not _want_ to!" Vaccine roared suddenly, and in the next instant she was in the air.

"BYOU?!" the Byouki gaped as Vaccine sailed over the wall of glass, a fierce look on her face.

Chouko blinked, having heard her shout. "What...?"

Time seemed to slow down as Vaccine descended, winding up a punch as she became at eye-level with the Byouki. _"I don't want to. And you can't **make me."**_

POW!

The Byouki's glass shell cracked slightly as it hit the bleachers. It cried out in alarm as it felt the cracks spread out and go deeper, trying to twist itself around to see.

 **"Pretty Cure Citrus Splash!"**

The Byouki was defeated, the damage reversed, and Vaccine caught her reflection briefly before the glass shards vanished. As they faded, she smiled a little.

* * *

As the bell rang to end lunch period, Fuuka ran down the hallway, breezing past her friends as they reentered the building. "Eh? Where's she going in such a hurry?" Kiko asked.

Chouko said nothing.

Fuuka was jogging down the hallway leading to her classroom, and spotted Azumi in the distance. "Ms Miyamoto! Excuse me, Ms Miyamoto!"

Azumi paused, turning around and taking a drink of her coffee. "Mori? Wassup?"

Fuuka slowed to a stop in front of her teacher, hands clasped at waist-level as she spoke. "Ms Miyamoto, I'm really sorry, but... I don't want to play the wicked step-sister."

"Eh?"

"I mean...yelling at someone and saying such mean things makes me uncomfortable. I know it's just acting, but I just hate it so much! I'd just feel really horrible if I performed that role, especially in front of kids. I'm really sorry, but I just won't do it." She punctuated her mini-speech with a bow.

Azumi stared for a second, then shrugged. "Okay then! Well, thank you for telling me, Mori – I'll pull you out of the cast."

"There's still plenty of time to get a replacement, right?"

"Of course! The play's not something serious, after all. We can get anyone to fill in for you – if they're comfortable with it. By the way," she added, taking another drink. "Was there something else you wanted to do, or...?"

Fuuka shook her head. "No. Just one thing I didn't want. But thank you very much for the offer!"

"No problem." Azumi opened the door to the classroom and walked inside. "Well, I'll just draw another name out then."

Fuuka smiled in relief as she made her way to her desk and sat down. It was the biggest and most natural smile she'd made since the first drawing was done.

Soon after, the other three girls came in with the rest of the class. Chouko cast Fuuka a look as she sat down. "Are you allowed to do that?" she asked.

"...yeah. Yeah, apparently I am..." Fuuka said with a smile.

She completely missed the thoughtful look on Chouko's face, and the way she glanced into her schoolbag, meeting Inge's eyes.

* * *

ED: "PreCure, Healing Hearts!" - Hitomi Yoshida

* * *

ON THE NEXT EPISODE:

Kiko: "Rrrrrgh, that Daiki! He's so _annoying_! He's a total jerk, I hate him!"

Airi: "A-Ah, it can't be that bad?"

Fuuka: "All siblings get into fights once in a while."

Kiko: "But it's like, _all the time!_ Next time on Cure Cure! PreCure: ' **Kiko and Her Brother. The Siblings' Growing-Up Past!** ' Be well, everyone!"


End file.
